I don’t consider it a form or torture, in any way shape or form, and I know that many of my readers are MOMS, (or dads) who are trying to get more good stuff into their families with only three meals and two snacks a day….not counting the chocolate snack that is the required Mom-only snack that we sneak in the closet or laundry room when in dire need of SOMETHING to get us through the day.
Yep, the very last tomatoes. I have been saving them for a special occasion, like bruschetta, or a pasta topping over homemade spinach pasta when tossed with garlic, and little olive oil, and a garnish of sea salt. Instead, I used them for you. You are welcome. 🙂
I pulsed these in my food processor for about twenty seconds. Yes, I left the seeds in,
but that is a personal preference.
Next I took one of my non-stick sheets (called para-flexx sheets by the Excalibur company) and spread out the puree as thin and evenly as I could.
And here is a simple tip for you. If you have only a few para-flexx sheets, you can use the liners from a box of cereal that you would otherwise throw away, and it works beautifully. I have often done fruit leathers this way as well. you can cut them to fit, and overlap.
Now remember, we were talking about cooking things down and using them in purees? Pulsing them in your food processor? I use my Nesco pressure cooker all the time for this. That is butternut squash, which, by the way, makes an amazing addition to banana bread, muffins, or even in macaroni and cheese. No kidding, just makes for a better tasting meal. Try it in the sauce on pizza. Mix it into a box of stuffing mix and spread it over a casserole.
And of course, you know, you can season them. If you want to make a tomato-based powder that will be used exclusively for Mexican flavored dishes, then by all means, lob in some chili powder and cumin. Flavor it with salt and pepper, like I did above. Add some nutmeg and cinnamon to pumpkin.
Anything you can come up with in your imagination, you can try.
And how does it end up? Well this is my larger glass mixing bowl that holds 8 cups of liquid. It is almost completely filled with pieces of dried tomato puree.
Can you see how paper thin these are? Amazing, fragile, and a true flavor explosion in your mouth. At this point I simply put it right through my food processor again and had a fine, rich powder that went into a jar and onto the shelf. Simple.
How can you use these???
Well, other than the ideas I have given you here today on the blog, be sure to come back tomorrow as I teach you to combine ALL the things we have been covering and learn to make complete meals with them. Canned foods, dried foods, fruit leathers and veggie powders…all in a couple posts chock full of mind-boggling combos that hopefully will help you see the big picture that we go by around here.
Here are my recommendations for equipment, books, and extras to go along with today’s post. Thank you so much for looking and for those of you who order if you can, because it helps support my family with all that I do here at The Welcoming House.
Many blessings to you and yours,
Heather
Saw them on your counter the other day and was wondering about them but never got around to asking. Now I know 🙂 Can’t wait to experiment with this!
Sorry I didnt tell you! I completely forgot about it sitting there–LOL, I can imagine you were wondering what in the world it was! 🙂
Thanks for coming by, by the way.
~Heather
I recently discovered your blog and I am loving it!