Every year, we grow cherry tomatoes in the garden. They are prolific producers and there is no way we can use up the pounds and pounds of tomatoes they produce. This time of the year, they can’t even be given away because it seems everybody has an over-abundance of them in their gardens. So, what to do with them? Turn them into a rich, thick, and flavorful Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce!
Typically, when making tomato sauce, I choose to use plum (aka Roma) tomatoes because they have more pulp than seeds. However, I do not like wasting food and, since I had pounds of excess cherry tomatoes, I figured they were worth a bit of time to turn them into tomato sauce. Any variety of cherry tomato will work in this recipe. The sauce in the photos in this posting was made with the Bumblebee variety.
I find that roasting vegetables brings out their wonderful flavors. This is true of tomatoes as well. For this recipe, I simply washed and dried the tiny tomatoes and cut off the stem ends then put them into a couple of large baking pans, drizzled them with olive oil, turning the tomatoes to ensure they were coated on all sides. Some nutmeg, along with a hefty sprinkling of fine sea salt and some freshly ground pepper, were applied to the tomatoes. A light drizzle of balsamic vinegar was used to add some additional flavor.
These tomatoes were roasted around 40 minutes in a 400°F oven, just until they started shriveling and bursting open. While the tomatoes are cooling before being puréed, start cooking the aromatics – the shallots, celery, carrot, green pepper, and garlic cloves. Once these are softened, they will be put through the food processor or blender along with the tomatoes.
Either a food processor or blender can be used to purée the roasted tomatoes and vegetables. My preference is to use a blender for this purpose. Neither appliance will completely grind up all the hundreds of tiny tomato seeds. I like my tomato sauce to be free of the seeds so, after puréeing the tomatoes, I pass the puréed mixture through a wire mesh sieve, using the back of a spoon to gently press the tomatoes to release the sauce and hold back the seeds and any remaining bits of skin that may not have puréed. If you don’t mind the seeds and like a more rustic style of tomato sauce, it’s perfectly fine to leave the seeds in the sauce and you can skip this step. However, for a sauce with a more smooth and refined textured, and for anyone who experiences difficulty digesting seeds, I do recommend straining out the seeds. Amazingly, the puréeing process will grind up the tomato skins very well and there will only be slight traces (if any at all) of any skins visible after puréeing the mixture.
This sauce may be made with either dried or fresh herbs and I have given approximate amounts for each. The amount of herbs to use (and the same for garlic) is a matter of personal taste so feel free to vary the amounts slightly according to your own taste preferences. Just remember that more seasoning can be added as the sauce simmers but, if too much is added, there is no way to remove it.
I do add a small can of tomato purée to this sauce to give it more body, color, and deeper flavor. Sweeten up the sauce with a small amount of pure maple syrup and let the sauce simmer for about an hour or so to allow the flavors to develop. If desired, a half cup of a full-bodied red wine can also be added to the sauce.
This sauce works particularly well on pasta though it can be used in any recipe calling for tomato sauce.
This Cherry Tomato Sauce may be used immediately or refrigerated up to three days. For longer storage, freeze the sauce in airtight freezer containers or zippered freezer bags of desired serving size. This sauce is a great way to use up the excess cherry tomatoes in the garden.
[Printable recipe follows at end of post]
Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
5 lbs cherry tomatoes, any variety, washed and dried, stem ends removed
1-2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
¾ tsp ground nutmeg
1 – 1¼ tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Scant 2/3 cup shallots, finely chopped
½ cup celery, finely chopped (apx. 1 stalk)
½ cup carrot, finely chopped
1/3 cup green pepper, finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 – 5.5oz can tomato paste
1½ tbsp pure maple syrup
½ cup red wine (optional)
2 – 2½ tsp dried parsley, chopped (or apx. 2 tbsp chopped fresh)
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1¼ tsp dried basil (or apx. 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh)
1 tsp dried oregano (or apx 1 tbsp chopped fresh)
¼ tsp dried thyme (or apx 1 tsp chopped fresh)
½ tsp dried rosemary, crushed (or apx ½ tbsp chopped fresh)
1/16 tsp ground cloves
Sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste
Method:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Place tomatoes, single layer on rimmed baking sheets or 9”x13” baking pans. Drizzle with olive oil, tossing tomatoes to coat all sides. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Drizzle lightly with balsamic vinegar. Place in oven, uncovered, and roast for 35-45 minutes, until tomatoes shrivel, and start to burst and break down somewhat. Remove from oven and cool for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet. Add the shallots, celery, carrot, green pepper, and garlic cloves. Cook over medium heat for 6-7 minutes, until vegetables are softened.
Working in batches, process the roasted tomatoes and their juices along with the sautéed vegetables in blender or food processor until smooth. If removal of all seeds is desired, pass the puréed mixture through a wire mesh sieve positioned over small clean stock pot. Using the back of a large spoon or a rubber spatula, gently press down on the tomato mixture to push it through the sieve. Discard the seeds and any remaining bits of tomato skin.
Place stockpot on low heat and add the tomato paste, maple syrup, red wine, and spices. Stir well and increase heat to medium low. Stir frequently to avoid mixture sticking to pot. When mixture starts to show signs of bubbling, reduce heat to low simmer and let mixture cook slowly for 40-60 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Stir frequently.
Serve immediately over hot cooked pasta or refrigerate up to three days. For longer storage, freeze in airtight containers or zippered freezer bags of desired serving size.
Yield: Apx 1 litre
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Printable Recipe:
Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 5 lbs cherry tomatoes, any variety, washed and dried, stem ends removed
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
- ¾ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 – 1¼ tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- Scant 2/3 cup shallots, finely chopped
- ½ cup celery, finely chopped (apx. 1 stalk)
- ½ cup carrot, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup green pepper, finely chopped
- 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 – 5.5oz can tomato paste
- 1½ tbsp pure maple syrup
- ½ cup red wine (optional)
- 2 – 2½ tsp dried parsley, chopped (or apx. 2 tbsp chopped fresh)
- 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1¼ tsp dried basil (or apx. 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh)
- 1 tsp dried oregano (or apx 1 tbsp chopped fresh)
- ¼ tsp dried thyme (or apx 1 tsp chopped fresh)
- ½ tsp dried rosemary, crushed (or apx ½ tbsp chopped fresh)
- 1/16 tsp ground cloves
- Sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 400°F.
-
Place tomatoes, single layer on rimmed baking sheets or 9”x13” baking pans. Drizzle with olive oil, tossing tomatoes to coat all sides. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Drizzle lightly with balsamic vinegar. Place in oven, uncovered, and roast for 35-45 minutes, until tomatoes shrivel, and start to burst and break down somewhat. Remove from oven and cool for about 30 minutes.
-
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet. Add the shallots, celery, carrot, green pepper, and garlic cloves. Cook over medium heat for 6-7 minutes, until vegetables are softened.
-
Working in batches, process the roasted tomatoes and their juices along with the sautéed vegetables in blender or food processor until smooth. If removal of all seeds is desired, pass the puréed mixture through a wire mesh sieve positioned over small clean stock pot. Using the back of a large spoon or a rubber spatula, gently press down on the tomato mixture to push it through the sieve. Discard the seeds and any remaining bits of tomato skin.
-
Place stockpot on low heat and add the tomato paste, maple syrup, red wine, and spices. Stir well and increase heat to medium low. Stir frequently to avoid mixture sticking to pot. When mixture starts to show signs of bubbling, reduce heat to low simmer and let mixture cook slowly for 40-60 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Stir frequently.
-
Serve immediately over hot cooked pasta or refrigerate up to three days. For longer storage, freeze in airtight containers or zippered freezer bags of desired serving size.
Recipe Notes
Yield: Apx 1 litre
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