Homemade Tomato Paste
"Complete Vegetarian Kitchen", by Lorna Sass
1/2 cup water
3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes (dry pack)
1. Bring the water to a boil in a small pot.
2. Add the tomatoes, cover, and simmer until the tomatoes are very soft, about 3 to 10 minutes, depending on how dry they are).
3. Lift out the tomato pieces with a slotted spoon and puree in a blender, adding a bit of the cooking liquid if the paste becomes too thick.
4. Use immediately or cool and freeze in quantities of 2 tablespoons in individual ice-cube molds and store, tightly covered, for up to 4 months. She also suggests cooling to room temp., pouring a thin layer of olive oil on top, and refrigerating for up to 2 weeks.
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Tomato Paste
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4 tomatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 minced shallot
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon mixed minced fresh herbs such as thyme, tarragon, oregano and parsley
To prepare the tomato paste: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the tomatoes. Let
the water return to a boil, then remove the tomatoes and plunge into ice water. Let cool. Peel,
then cut in half and squeeze to remove the seeds. Roughly chop the tomatoes. Heat the olive
oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and let the water evaporate,
shaking the pan to keep them from sticking. Add the garlic and shallots and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer. Pour in the vinegar and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom. Once the liquid has nearly evaporated, stir in the herbs. The mixture will be pulp-like; it can be puréed if desired.
From Great Chefs
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Sun-Dried Tomato Paste
Makes 1 cup (250 mL)
1 cup (250 mL) drained, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, or dried tomatoes soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, then drained
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup (50 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1. In a food processor, pulse the tomatoes and the garlic until finely chopped.
2. With the machine on, slowly pour in 1/4 cup (50 mL) of extra-virgin olive oil and process to a paste. Refrigerate the paste up to 1 month.  | 
Tomato paste 
