Homemade Tomato Paste

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Homemade Tomato Paste, or Domates Salçası, is made with only 2 ingredients: ripe summer tomatoes and rock salt. Two methods, a powerful blender or a pot of boiling water, and the jars keep for months.

Prep Time40

Cook Time5

Total Time5 40

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: Turkish

Diet: Gluten Free, Halal, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: tablespoons

Calories: 15kcal

Author: Ayla Clulee

Ingredients

15 ½ lbs ripe tomatoes 7 kg cut into quarters
4 ⅔ tablespoon rock salt 70 g
olive oil to seal the jars

Instructions

Method 1: Boil and Sieve the Tomatoes

Choose one of the two methods. For this one, wash the tomatoes and cut them into quarters.
Boil them in a large pot until soft, then pass them through a fine sieve to leave the skins and seeds behind.

Method 2: Blitz Them Raw in a Powerful Blender

Cut the raw tomatoes into quarters and blitz them smooth in a powerful blender. A stick blender is not strong enough.
Pass the blended tomatoes through the sieve in batches.

Reduce the Paste

Pour the sieved tomatoes into a wide pan and add the rock salt. Simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring from time to time.
Once it thickens and starts to spit, move it to a large tray.
Continue in the oven at 150-160° C (302-320° F) for another 2 to 3 hours, stirring regularly, especially the sides of the tray.

Fill the Jars

Sterilize the jars. Fill them with the warm paste and press it down to push out air pockets.
Pour a thin layer of olive oil on top and close the lids. Put the jars straight in the fridge, or, if fridge space is tight, turn them upside down overnight to seal and keep them somewhere cool and dark.
Put the jars straight in the fridge, or, if fridge space is tight, turn them upside down overnight to seal and keep them somewhere cool and dark.

Notes

Makes nearly 1 ½ kg of paste; a serving is 1 tablespoon.
Use rock salt at 1% of the tomato weight; iodized table salt thins the paste and shortens its shelf life.
Stir with a wooden spoon; metal can discolor the paste.
A stick blender is not strong enough for the raw method; use a powerful blender like a Thermomix.
The paste is ready when it is thick and dark red, and the spoon leaves a trail in the pan.
If it spits on the stove, finish the reduction in the oven instead.
Plum tomatoes give the biggest yield; ripe summer beef tomatoes work well too.
Keeps up to 4 months in the fridge with a layer of olive oil on top; top the oil up after each use, with a clean, dry spoon only.
For longer storage, freeze in ice cube molds; the cubes keep for 8 months.
The paste is already salted, so season dishes carefully when cooking with it.
For a mixed salça, use half tomatoes and half red peppers.
Fill the jars when the paste is still warm. If fridge space is tight, turn them upside down overnight to seal, and keep them somewhere cool and dark.

Nutrition