Electric Pressure Cooker Heirloom Tomato Sauce – Recipe!

This is the perfect weekend to preserve tomatoes because tomato season is in full bloom, but it won’t last forever, so go to the farmer’s market and grab yourself a big flat of beautiful fresh tomatoes, and get started.  Preserving tomatoes or any fruit, for that matter, isn’t hard to do, especially in an electric pressure cooker.  The intense internal heat of a pressure cooker, practically turns sliced tomatoes into sauce in minutes, and with some additional assistance from an immersion blender, creates a smooth and creamy sauce.

This has been a unique summer to say the least, but somehow we’ve managed to get through it.  Fresh tomatoes just seem to make me smile, and I hope they do the same for you.  There’s something magical about how sweet they taste, and how easily enjoyed they are either piled high on a piece of toast, in a salad or sandwich, or pureed into a luxurious, but simple sauce.  Preserving tomato sauce to use later, when you’re back to the canned stuff, will definitely brighten your end-of-year, and add a touch of goodness to the holidays, if it lasts that long.

The difference to me between fresh tomato sauce and the store-bought varieties is flavor.  The light refreshing taste of homemade tomato sauce brightens up recipes, and brings you back to summer with each and every spoonful – it’s like summer in a jar.  Having fresh sauce on hand, makes it so simple to toss with pasta, or simmer with fish, vegetables, or chicken.  You may even consider when the weather turns cooler, adding additional herbs and spices, and maybe even a splash of vodka and cream.  The possibilities are endless with a few bottles of the homemade stuff in your cupboard.

Ingredients

15-18 large tomatoes, sliced – any variety

1 white onion, diced

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced

3 bay leaves

olive oil

(Makes 3 Quarts)

To Prepare:

1. In an electric pressure cooker, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and onion, saute for 2 minutes.  Add carrot and stir.  Cook for 2 minutes.  Pile sliced tomatoes into pot and place bay leaves on top.
2. Place lid on top and seal.  Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.  Release pressure manually and remove lid, hit cancel.  Press saute and reduce liquid in pot for one full cycle (30 minutes).
3. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth and creamy (or puree in batches in a regular blender).
4. Ladle into sanitized jars, freezer jars, or cool sauce and ladle into freezer storage bags.  If storing in a pantry, please follow preserving protocols.  You can reserve some sauce to store in refrigerator to use within the week, if desired.  Enjoy!