Ciao a tutti,

Some of you requested tomato-based recipes in the veggie section, so here are some tried-n-true recipes from my Bernardin canning book with a wee bit o tweaking:

Italian Tomato Sauce

8 c. tomato puree, about 5 lb.
2/3 c. chopped onion
2/3 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped carrot
2 lg. cloves garlic, pressed
4 tbsp. bottled lemon juice
2 tsp. pickling or sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. fresh oregano leaves
2 tbsp. fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons

Wash and dry tomatoes. Cut into large chunks and run through a manual or electric food mill to remove skins and seeds. Fill canning pot half full with hot water and place on high heat. Place onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in a large enamel saucepan (do not use iron as it will impart a metallic flavour to the tomatoes). Add 1 cup of the tomato puree and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat slightly, cover, and cook for 5 min. Add the remaining puree, 1 cup at a time, and raise the heat. Stir in lemon juice, salt, peppers, and herbs. Maintain mixture at a boil, stirring frequently for 15 minutes. At the 10 minute mark, using a jar lifter, place 5 freshly washed 500 ml canning jars and 5 lids into canning pot of boiling water. Ladle tomato sauce into a hot jar to within 1 cm of top rim. Wipe jar rim removing any stickiness with a damp paper towel. Center lid onto jar using tongs, and screw on jar band until fingertip tight. Place jar on a heatproof surface and proceed to the next jar. Once all jars have been filled, place them into the canning pot using the jar lifter and cover pot. Process jars for 35 minutes. Remove jars to a heatproof surface (a cookie sheet covered with a layer of paper towels is what I use). Cool 24 hours before labelling and storing. This recipe makes 3-5 500 ml jars, depending on the consistency you desire (you can cook the sauce longer than 15 min if you like a thicker sauce). I always include at least one extra jar than the yield suggests, just in case. This will also depend on the variety(ies) of tomatoes you use. Juicy beefsteaks contain MUCH more water than paste tomatoes, for example.

Ok, what next...

Hot Salsa

8 Jalapeno or Serrano peppers or 1-2 Habanero peppers, depending on desired heat
7 c. prepared tomatoes, about 6 lb.
2 c. diced onion
1 c. diced sweet bell pepper, any colour
3 lg. cloves garlic, pressed
1 sm. can tomato paste (156 ml)
3/4 c. white vinegar
1/2 c. loosely packed snipped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Remove seeds and finely mince hot chili peppers. Wear gloves! Blanch tomatoes in boiling water, 3-4 at a time until skins split, about 1 min. Rinse under very cold water and remove skins. Set aside in a large bowl until all tomatoes are skinned. Dice tomatoes roughly into 1 cm. cubes. Measure 7 cups. Fill canning pot to 1/2 volume with hot water and set on high heat. Combine tomatoes, chilis, onion, sweet peppers, garlic, tomato paste, vinegar, cilantro and cumin into a large enamel pot. Bring to a boil and boil gently, about 30 min. until salsa reaches desired consistency. At the 25 min. mark, using a jar lifter, place 6 500 ml canning jars and lids into canning pot of boiling water. Ladle salsa into a hot jar to within 1 cm of top rim. Wipe jar rim with a damp paper towel to remove any stickiness. Center lid onto jar using tongs. Screw jar band onto filled canning jar just until fingertip tight. Place filled jar on a heatproof surface and proceed to the next jar until all are filled. Place jars into canning pot of boiling water using jar lifter and cover. Process jars for 20 minutes. Remove jars to a heatproof surface such as a cookie sheet covered with a layer of paper towels. Cool for 24 hours before labelling and storing. Yield is about 5 500 ml jars depending on tomato variety and desired consistency.

Tomato Ketchup

7 c. prepared tomatoes, about 4 lb.
1/2 c. diced onion
1/2 c. diced sweet pepper, any colour
2/3 c. cider vinegar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
2 tsp. pickling salt
1 cinnamon stick, 5 cm long
1/2 tsp. each: whole allspice, whole cloves, peppercorns
1 bay leaf

Cut tomatoes into large chunks and run them through a manual or electric food mill to remove skins and seeds. Combine onion, sweet pepper, and 1 cup of the tomato puree in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Remove to a large enamel pot and combine with remaining tomato puree. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered for 30 minutes. Add vinegar, sugar, and salt. Place spices into a muslin spice bag or in a square of several layers of cheesecloth and tie closed using kitchen twine and add to the pot. Return to a boil and reduce heat so mixture boils gently, uncovered, stirring frequently, until volume is reduced by half or until mixture rounds up on a spoon without separation, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove spice bag. At the 1 hour mark, fill canning pot to 1/2 volume with hot water and place on high heat until water boils. Place 4 freshly washed 250 ml canning jars and lids into canning pot of boiling water for 5 minutes to soften sealing compound on lids and sterilize jars. Remove a hot jar from the canning pot using a jar lifter and ladle ketchup to within 1 cm of rim. Wipe rim of any stickiness using a damp paper towel. Center lid onto jar using tongs. Screw band onto jar to fingertip tightness and place filled jar onto a heatproof surface. Fill remaining jars and then place into the canning pot of boiling water using the jar lifter, cover the canning pot. Process jars for 15 minutes. Remove jars using the jar lifter to a heatproof surface such as a cookie sheet covered with a layer of paper towels. Cool for 24 hours before labelling and storing. Yield is about 3 250 ml jars.

The ketchup recipe is from More Put a Lid on it by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard

For fun, try any of these recipes using non-red tomato varieties like yellow, orange, green (green-when-ripe), or purple

Buon appetito and have fun!

Julianna

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When I make my Italian Tomato Sauce, I cut the tomatoes in half, enough to fill up a big pot (I never measure), cut up a big onion, a couple carrots, a couple stalks of celery and a few cloves of garlic. I simmer everything for a good 2 hours. Then I put everything through the food mill. I put it back on stove and add fresh basil and fresh ground pepper. It's wonderful...!!!! Then I fill in steriled jars, add 1 tbsp of lemon juice/pint and process 20 mins. I had a 93yr old Italian client who taught me to do it this way. Of course she added salt but I'm such a salt phobe, I don't bother.
Christina

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Thanks for the recipes.
My husband was wondering if he could make up some homemade sauce to use on lasagna or spaghetti and than can that? I thought he could but wasn't sure. I have no idea what the recipe is he just makes it by taste.
Sorellina--I found a recipe for ketchup that you simmer in a crockpot with the lid off, in an old cookbook of grandma's. Do you think that would be easier than to watch the ketchup simmering on a stove?
Thanks,
Nancy

Sorellina,
I have a 5 quart crockpot and use it all the time.
I will just freeze Neil's sauce rather then can it. This is my first year canning so I wanted to be sure. Everything I have canned so far has been by the recipe. The only time I cook in huge batches is for holidays or if I get a cool enough day in the middle of the summer to turn on the oven. You did answer my question so you were very helpful:)
Nancy