Tomato Sauce Bottled

Preparation: 2 1/2 hrs

Ingredients

  • 2kg  ripe, preferably plum, Tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 2.5cm piece fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 clove Garlic, crushed
  • 3 tbsp chopped fresh Coriander
  • Salt
  • freshly ground Black Pepper
  • juice of 1 Lemon

Method

Wash the tomatoes well in cold water.

Cut them in half and remove the core and tough white piece in the centre.

Remove as many seeds as you can and squeeze out any excess moisture.

Put the tomatoes into a large saucepan or preserving pan and cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat for about 1½–2 hours or until very soft, stirring often and keeping an eye on them to make sure they don't catch.

Allow cooling briefly before pressing the mixture through a sieve or food mill to remove the skins and any stray seeds.

Meanwhile, sterilise the jars and lids.

Put about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into the bottom of each jar.

Using a jam funnel, pour the passata into the prepared jars leaving a gap of about 2 cm at the top.

Replace the lids and place the filled jars into a large deep pan, ensuring that the jars don't touch each other (thread a tea towel between them to keep them apart).

Completely cover the jars with water by at least 2.5 cm.

Bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. You will see the lids become slightly indented at the tops.

This is because a vacuum has now formed between the sauce and the lid.

Turn off the heat and leave to cool completely before removing the jars from the water.

Dry well then label and store.

Keep sealed for up to a year.

This recipe is from Preserves by Carol Tennant and published by Simon & Schuster 2009.