Homemade Tomato Garlic Paste Recipes

Steps:

• Place tomatoes in a kettle, and cover with cold water. Bring just to the boil. Pour off water, and cover again with cold water. Peel. Cut into small pieces.
• Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
• In a large skillet or saute pan, saute the garlic in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. The garlic should just become opaque, not brown. Stir in the tomato paste. Immediately stir in the tomatoes, and salt and pepper. Reduce heat, and simmer until the pasta is ready; add the basil.
• Drain the pasta, but do not rinse in cold water. Toss with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and then mix into the sauce. Reduce the heat as low as possible. Keep warm, uncovered, for about 10 minutes when it is ready to serve. Garnish generously with fresh Parmesan cheese.
• VARIATIONS: Saute fresh quartered mushrooms with the garlic, or add shoestring zucchini along with the tomato.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat; season the water generously with salt. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 8 to 12 minutes (depending on the pasta shape). Reserve 1 cup of cooking water in a liquid measuring cup, then drain the pasta.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in another large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the crushed red pepper flakes, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic has softened, 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato paste has turned a deep brick red and is starting to caramelize on the bottom and sides of the pot, about 6 minutes. Pour in the vodka and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pot, then cook until the vodka is almost completely absorbed and the alcohol has cooked off, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low, then stir in the heavy cream and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water until smooth and combined.
• Add the cooked pasta, Parmesan and butter to the sauce and stir to evenly combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt. Adjust the consistency of the sauce, adding 1 tablespoon of cooking water at a time, until it nicely coats the pasta (it should be creamy, glossy and saucy). Serve in shallow bowls with an extra sprinkle of Parmesan and thinly sliced fresh basil.

Steps:

• Stir to combine the tomatoes with the olive oil and salt in a large Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium heat until the tomatoes give up their juices and the skins start to peel off, about 10 minutes.
• Let cool for a few minutes, then pass the tomatoes and their juices through a food mill fitted with the finest disk into a bowl. (If you don't have a food mill, you can press through a sieve.) Transfer the puree to the Dutch oven. Bring to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to thicken and is reduced by about half, about 1 hour. Lower the heat so the puree is barely bubbling and continue to cook, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until very thick, 30 minutes to 1 hour more, depending on how juicy your tomatoes were. Once the puree is quite thick, keep an eye on it and cook, stirring frequently, until brick red and completely dried out (but not burnt), 10 to 15 minutes more. Let cool completely.
• Transfer to a nonreactive jar and cover with a thin film of olive oil to prevent a crust from forming. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. For longer storage, transfer to ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, remove and transfer the cubes to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.