Tomato paste (Recipe: my own meat sauce)

Tomato Week, Day 2.

My mother, like many "let's have TV dinners" cooks in the 1960s, made spaghetti sauce with Spatini, which I think was mostly a packet of salt mixed with a few flavor enhancers.

I don't blame her. After all, it was the Age of Convenience Foods, and my mother worked and didn't have a lot of time to cook. Her mother never cooked pasta, or made sauce, either, so my mother really didn't have a role model.

My own spaghetti role model was Patty, my freshman-year Italian-American roommate, who taught me to make her grandmother's sauce with canned tomatoes, onions, peppers, oregano and tomato paste. It was the perfect college meal; pasta was cheap, and the ingredients for sauce were cheap, too. And it was so easy to make the real thing.

Bye bye, Spatini.

Tomato paste is a concentrate made from paste tomatoes that have a high pectin content. When they're cooked down, they're put through a strainer to remove skins and seeds, and reduced further until almost all of the moisture has evaporated. Usually a recipe will call for a tablespoon or two, just enough to enrich a beef stew, for instance, or to deepen the flavor of a sauce made with fresh tomatoes.

For the occasional spoonful, the tomato paste tube is perfect. If you can't find the tube in your grocery store, buy the 6-ounce can. Remove any leftovers and transfer to another container, then store in the fridge or freezer. (Leave it to Martha Stewart to come up with the definitive way to save leftover tomato paste.)

When cooking any tomato products or other highly acidic foods, avoid unenameled cast iron and other reactive pots. One time, years ago, I made tomato sauce in an aluminum stock pot. I let it cool in the pot instead of removing it instantly, and — you guessed it — the pot reacted with the tomatoes and turned my sauce into a foul-smelling, bubbly science experiment.

MY OWN MEAT SAUCE
What pasta wouldn't love this? Makes enough for two or more pounds of pasta.

1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
3-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 boxes Pomi tomatoes (or 64 oz canned tomatoes)
1 4.5-oz tube tomato paste
2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried thyme leaf
1 large bay leaf
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 bottle dry red wine
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
Pinch of sugar, if necessary

In a 4-5 quart nonreactive stockpot (I use stainless steel), brown beef thoroughly. Add onion and green pepper, and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Drain off the fat. Add all remaining ingredients and cook, partially covered, over lowest heat for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Stir occasionally.

In an emergency (is there such a thing as a pasta emergency? Sure!) this can be made in the microwave. It will be won't have that long-simmered taste, but it will be fine, especially if you're going to use it in a lasagna or other recipe where it will be cooked again. In a full-size micro oven, cook meat, pepper and onion for 5-6 minutes on high, until meat is browned. Drain off fat. Add remaining ingredients and cook, covered, for 15 minutes on medium-high power. Stir. Cook 12 minutes more on high, and it will be done.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

Comments

[Ivonne]

I've never heard of this tomato paste ... will have to check it out!

[Stefanie]

I have yet to find tomato paste in a tube here in Canada! Though I haven't searched high and low for it, just in the major supermarkets. I think it's a great way to store it. So far I've only ever bought it in mini cans and I often end up throwing away whatever I didn't use.

[Lydia]

Hmmmm, maybe I'll have to get into the tomato paste exporting business! I used to be the queen of little bits of tomato paste in the freezer. I first saw these tubes in an Italian market, but now they're in the Italian food aisle of my regular grocery store.

[Jae Ran]

I just purchased this exact tube at the co-op yesterday, with no idea what I was going to use it for - must have been kismet.

[Pauline]

I win the title of "tube paste queen". I now have tomato, garlic, anchovy, olive, onion and the latest wasabi paste. They're great when you need just a touch of additional flavor. "Best thing since sliced bread".

[Lydia]

Jae Ran, welcome to The Perfect Pantry. I believe in kismet.....

Glad to discover your blog, too:
http://harlowmonkey.wordpress.com/

[Linda]

What stores carry the tube of tomato paste? Brand Name? Have been looking for it.

[Lydia]

Linda, Amore brand is available in my local Stop & Shop, but it's also available on amazon.com (click on the shopping chef in the right-hand column here, and then go to the food category). That's the most common supermarket brand. The great thing about the tubes is that you can use just the little bit you need, and the rest will keep for months in the fridge.

[Allison]

I used to be able to find onion paste in my local grocery store, but I think they stopped carrying it. Does anybody know of anyplace to find it? I have been looking online, but I have not had any luck.

[Donna]

I'm looking in the Orlando/Kissimmee, Fl. area. I've been through all the major grocery stores. There are no tubes of tomato paste to be found. Nobody knows what I'm talking about.

[Lydia]

Donna, I'm surprised that the larger grocery stores don't have this -- even in my small Rhode Island town, the markets all carry tomato paste in a tube in the aisle with canned tomato products. However, you can order this tomato paste on Amazon if you can't find it in a gourmet market. Here's an idea: why not print this page and take the photo with you to the store? Ask the manager of your local market to order it for you. Good luck with your search!