Chicago Home and Lifestyles – Tomato Harvest

If you are a tomato lover like me, you have way too many tomatoes coming out of the garden right now! Although we do give some away, I want to freeze as many as possible to savor in the dead of winter with a foot of snow on the ground.

To prepare the tomatoes to freeze they need to be peeled and cored. Cut a small cross in the bottom of each tomato. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer. Place tomatoes in the simmering water and let them sit for a minute or two. You will notice the skin starting to pucker. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in an ice bath. When cool, remove and slip off the skins. Place into a large plastic bowl. I core and quarter the tomatoes over the bowl to catch any juice. Place tomatoes and juice into quart size freezer bags. Squeeze out as much air as possible and leave a little space for expansion as they freeze. This quart bag of tomatoes will work in any recipe requiring a 29 ounce can of tomatoes. 

At least half of the harvest I make into fresh tomato sauce. It freezes beautifully! Sauté two small diced onions in 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil till soft. Add 4 cloves of minced garlic and sauté a couple minutes till fragrant. Add a 1-quart sized bag of fresh tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste along with 1 teaspoon dried oregano and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Simmer for 5 minutes then cool and pack into quart bags. I usually get two out of this recipe. Great on pasta with freshly grated parmesan, and you can add pancetta, bacon, or Italian sausage. You can also make this sauce with canned tomatoes. Be sure to taste it before adding salt as canned tomatoes are saltier. 

Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago