Three Tomato Vegetable Sauce Canning Recipes

Steps:

• Place 9 x 370ml jars with a wide neck in the dishwasher and wash at 65-70 C (around 149 F). Don't wash the lids in the dishwasher if they are new, just wash with hot soapy water.
• Meanwhile, wash all the tomatoes and peppers and scrape the zucchini lightly leaving some colour.
• Peel and chop the onion and peel and mince the garlic.
• Chop the tomatoes, peppers and zucchini into small chunks depending how chunky you want your sauce.
• Throw everything into a large stock pot and bring to the boil stirring every now and then so that you don't get any pieces stuck on the bottom. Once the tomatoes start to cook, the juices are released and you don't need to stir.
• Add the salt and remaining spices and allow mixture to boil over medium heat for about one hour.
• When the mixture has thickened to your liking turn off the heat but leave the sauce on the hotplate. It must not cool down.
• Dry the washed jars and their lids. The jars should still be slightly warm from the dishwasher.
• Fill each jar to just under the brim and seal carefully. Immediately turn jar upside down.
• Repeat until all the jars are filled.
• When the jars have cooled turn the right way up and store.
• This makes a mild sweet sauce which is very nice with pasta especially as a sauce in vegetarian lasagna.
• Edited: Since discussing canning techniques on the forum I felt I should mention that this method is appropriate for tomatoes in Greece which have a high acidic content. They do not spoil even without processing in a water bath. Traditionally Greeks make tomato sauce with tomatoes and salt, nothing else. Furthermore I don't remove the peel or seeds from the tomatoes as they are sweet and do not detract from the flavour. If your tomatoes are different then please process them so that they do not spoil and peel if you know that the skin will be bitter.

Steps:

• Prepare the jars and lids: Wash all jars and lids thoroughly with soap and water and rinse well. Fill your canner with enough water to cover the jars by at least 1 inch and bring to a simmer. Using a pair of canning tongs, lower the jars in gently, tilting them to fill with the hot water. In a small saucepan, keep some water warm but not boiling; place the lids in the water. Have an additional kettle of water on to boil. Peel and core the tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Have a large bowl of ice water at the ready. Gently lower the tomatoes into the boiling water and blanch them for 60 seconds. Remove with a strainer and transfer them to the ice water. Once cool, slit the skins; they should peel off easily. Remove the cores with a small paring knife. You will need to do this in batches. Discard skins and cores. Prepare the sauce: Coarsely chop the tomatoes and add them to a large stockpot. Place stockpot over medium-high heat, crushing and stirring the tomatoes to keep from burning. Continue until all the tomatoes are added and crushed. Bring the tomatoes to a boil, then reduce heat and keep at a low boil. Reduce to the desired thickness, by a third for a thin sauce, or by half for a thick sauce. Fill and close the jars: Using canning tongs, remove the jars from the canner, carefully pouring the water back into the canner. Set next to the sauce. Turn the heat under the canner to high. Add two tablespoons of bottled lemon juice and one teaspoon of salt to each jar; add a teaspoon of sugar to offset the added acidity if desired. Use a ladle to pour the sauce into the jars through a canning funnel, leaving 1/2-inch headspace at the top. Run a clean chopstick around the inside of the jar to dislodge any trapped air. Wipe the rims of the jars with a damp paper towel. Place the lids on, and screw on the rings until just finger-tight. Seal the jars: Using canning tongs, gently transfer the jars to the canner, taking care to keep them vertical. When all the jars are in the canner, there should be at least 1 inch water covering them; if you need more, add water from the kettle until the jars are sufficiently covered. Bring the water to a full rolling boil, and process for 40 minutes. Remove and cool: Using canning tongs, gently remove the jars from the canner and transfer them to a kitchen towel or cooling rack, again keeping them vertical. Do not set hot jars directly on to cool counter surfaces. Leave to cool, undisturbed, for at least 12 hours. If any of the jars do not seal when cool, reprocess using the method above, or refrigerate and use immediately. Label and store: Add a label to the lid or side of your jar, noting the date it was canned. Remove the rings and store jars in a cool, dark place for up to one year. Refrigerate after opening.

Steps:

• Combine tomatoes, garlic, celery, carrots, onion, zucchini and green pepper in a large pot. Add 3/4 cup water and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes until sauce begins to thicken.
• Soak sun-dried tomatoes in boiling water until softened. Drain, chop, and add to sauce.
• Add wine, vinegar, bay leaves, salt, oregano, basil, sugar and peppers.
• Continue to boil gently until sauce is desired consistency. This may take up to an hour.
• Discard bay leaves and stir in parsley.
• Ladle sauce into hot sterilized jars to within 1/2 inch of top and seal.
• Process in a hot water bath 35 minutes for pints, 40 minutes for quarts.
• Yield will vary according to your ingredients.
• Use on pasta adding fresh herbs, grated cheese and/or additional vegetables. Add a protein such as beans, sausage or tofu for a complete meal. Stir into soups or stews. Add to casserole dishes. This sauce can be used in many ways.
• Time does not include processing time.

Steps:

• In a large pot at medium-high heat, add the olive oil and carrots to the pot. Cook the carrots for about 10 minutes until they start to brown slightly.
• Next add the chopped onion, red bell pepper, celery, garlic, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper to the pot and cook until the vegetables are caramelized and tender.
• Add the tomato paste, stir it into the vegetables, and allow the tomato paste to brown deeply. It should be very aromatic before moving forward.
• Add the canned tomatoes and water, bring the sauce to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer the sauce for at least 1 hour.
• Add the sauce to a blender in batches or use an immersion blender to puree the sauce to your desired consistency.
• Let the sauce cool completely and then pour the sauce into freezer-safe bags. Place the bags into a leak-proof container/tray, and freeze for up to one month.
• Reheat the frozen sauce with ½ cup (120 ml) of water in a pot until it comes to a boil and then use as desired.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Place the first 6 ingredients in a roasting pan; toss with oil, garlic and seasonings. Roast until tender, 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly., Transfer half of the vegetables to a food processor; add 1 can of tomatoes. Process until smooth; remove to a 6-qt. stockpot. Repeat with remaining roasted vegetables and tomatoes., Add wine to sauce; bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend, stirring occasionally., Freeze option: Freeze cooled sauce in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally.