How to Make Passata
Perhaps you’re trying a homemade pizza recipe and need a tomato-rich base, or you’re making a pasta dish that needs a smooth tomato kick – why not make your own passata? Fancy giving it a go? Here’s our favourite passata sauce recipe:
What you’ll need:
- Ripe vine tomatoes (about 1kg)
- Sea Salt (to taste)
- Extra Virgin Olive oil (optional, for extra flavour)
The amount of passata produced can vary based on factors such as the size and juiciness of the tomatoes used and how much liquid is cooked off during the process. However, as a rough estimate, 1kg of tomatoes typically makes around 500-750 ml of passata.
How to make passata - step-by-step guide:
- Bring a large pan of water to the boil, whilst washing your ripe tomatoes and scoring a small ‘X’ on the bottom of each one.
- Add your tomatoes into the boiling water for about two minutes. You should start to see the skin peeling back, and at this stage, you can carefully transfer the tomatoes into a bowl of cold water to cool them quickly.
- When cooled, peel the skin off the tomatoes and cut them into quarters.
- Sieve the seeds and excess liquid from the tomatoes, then place them into a blender and blend until a smooth paste is formed.
- Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the blended tomatoes and salt to taste (optional).
- Cook the passata, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly. This usually takes up to 30 minutes.
Once cooled, you can freeze your homemade passata. Passata can typically be frozen for up to three months. To use after freezing, simply thaw overnight in the fridge before using in your meals.
