Homemade Tomato Paste

During my brief trip to Tennessee a week ago, my mom and I talked a lot about her childhood. I love it when she tells me stories about what she did as a barefoot little girl running through the forests. One of my favorite things she told me about was her moss carpet rooms. She would go out into the woods and find a space in the middle of a few trees. Then, she would search the forest for pieces of moss and she would lay them down, making a moss carpet. That was her play area. She told me that her mother taught her how to do it. I can picture that so clearly in my mind- my mom, just a little girl with dirt on her knees and curls around her face, picking up pieces of moss with her little hands and following her mother's instructions. I'm sure each step was passed on in my grandma's gentlest tone of voice.

Here is my grandmother. I adore this photo. I adore her.

Grandma Della

Another story my mom told me was about the huge number of canned tomatoes that were always in the pantry. She said my grandfather would come home, break open a jar and sit down with a fork. He would finish the jar in one sitting. Can you imagine having an entire pantry filled with things you grew and were able to enjoy year round? It seems like kind of a dream these days. Instead, we crowd the grocery stores and empty the shelves of things we know nothing about. We don't know who grew them, who canned them, who processed them...we just accept that they are readily available.

Homegrown Roma Tomatoes :: Set the Table

I'm certainly not saying convenience isn't a valuable part of life, but wouldn't it be nice to know where more of your food came from from beginning to end? I think so.

With this idea in mind, I made my own tomato paste the other day. It didn't yield the number of cans my grandparents had in their pantry, but it is something I will use when the weather starts to cool down. And I know exactly where the tomatoes came from. Actually, I can see where they came from by looking out my kitchen window. I love that.

Tomato Harvest :: Set the Table

Homemade Tomato Paste

Recipe barely adapted from Saveur http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Homemade-Tomato-Paste

Ingredients

• 5 lbs roma or plum tomatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
• kosher salt to taste

Instructions

1. Roughly chop the tomatoes and set aside. Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the tomatoes and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Season lightly with salt. You can season the paste again later if you'd like.
2. Transfer the tomatoes to a fine mesh strainer set over a large bowl. Use a whisk and press the tomatoes through the strainer by using a stirring moment. This will strain the pulp and juice of the tomatoes, leaving the seeds and skin behind. If the tomatoes don't fit in your strainer all at once, strain them in batches. You can also use a food mill, but I don't have one and thought maybe you didn't either. Hence the strainer method.
3. Heat your oven to 300 degrees Farenheit. Rub a large sheet pan with 1" sides with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Pour the strained tomatoes onto the sheet pan. It will seem like a lot of liquid but it will reduce down significantly. Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, for about 3 hours. The color will deepen and much of the liquid will reduce. After the initial 3 hours, reduce the heat to 250 degrees F and cook another 25 minutes or so until the color is a deep red.
4. Store the paste in an airtight container for one month or freeze for up to 6 months. I put mine in ice cube trays, allowed it to freeze, then transferred it to a ziploc bag.

Heirloom Tomato Galette

Last night I sat with Riley at the coffee table and colored with crayons. He scribbled and mostly wasn't watching what he was doing but somehow managed to make 98% of his markings on paper and not the table. I sat there drawing a picture of Elmo, thinking about how relaxing that moment was. There was a pivotal moment after dinner when I was faced with a fork in the road. One direction lead me to a kitchen full of dirty dishes, while the other lead to crayons. I chose crayons because the dishes will always be there. But Riley will not always be 20 months old with a bunch of crayons saying, "Mama, sit!"

Homegrown Tomatoes & Basil :: Set the Table

I think gardening has taught me something: not everything can happen right this very second. This is something many of us forget with our smart phones and fully stocked grocery stores. But pulling a tomato off a plant in your own back yard after waiting for weeks or months for the perfect color and size is infinitely more fulfilling.

Heirloom Tomato Galette :: Set the Table

Yesterday, I took one of my homegrown tomatoes and sliced it thinly, layered it over homemade ricotta cheese, and wrapped it all up in a flaky whole wheat crust. Just before we ate, I picked some fresh basil from the garden and sprinkled it over the top. It was so perfectly satisfying and just what a summer dish should be. The colors were gorgeous, the flavors were bright and clean, and the ingredients were simple and few.

So, we ate our tomato galette and then colored with crayons. It was the perfect end to a lovely summer weekend.

Heirloom Tomato Galette

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5T unsalted butter, placed in the freezer for 30 minutes-1 hour
• 1/4 cup ice water
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 medium heirloom tomato, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 recipe whole wheat pastry dough
• chopped fresh basil for garnish

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and butter. If you froze the butter (which I highly recommend) use a medium-large sized cheese grater (not a microplane) to grate it into the mixing bowl.
2. Using your fingers, combine the dry ingredients with the butter until the mixture resembles small crumbs.
3. Using a tablespoon, slowly add the ice water 1 scoop at a time. Do this until the mixture holds together well and is not dry or crumbling.
4. Gently knead the dough until it comes together completely. Gather the dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for half an hour and up to 2 hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough in a circle that is about 10 inches in diameter. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta with the egg. Season with a little salt and pepper. Spread the ricotta mixture in the center of the dough, leaving a boarder of about 2 inches. Layer the tomato slices over the ricotta. Gently fold the edges of the dough over the outer edge of the tomato slices, pressing lightly to seal. Brush the top of the crust with a little heavy cream.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the tomatoes look just barely cooked. Sprinkle with the basil and serve.