Thursday, August 7, 2008

Tomato Gloop 2

I know I’ve mentioned this before but we have had rather an over abundance of tomatoes this year. Now I hate to waste good food, but canning is not for me. None of this slaving over a hot stove when it’s 100°F + outside, no siree. If there’s an easier way, believe me I’ll find it. All I do is bung my tomatoes in the in the slow-cooker/crockpot with a few veggies and herbs, cook ‘em and then freeze ‘em. Easy-peasy, lemon squeezy. And I guarantee you won’t break into a sweat, unless your A/C’s conked out.

This tomato mix makes a great base for all sorts of pasta dishes, chicken casseroles, and beef stews, and it means that you can still get all those homegrown flavors even in winter.



Tomato Gloop 2
Ingredients:

2 onions, coarsely chopped
2 green peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks
6 beefsteak tomatoes, chopped into chunks.
A handful of fresh basil, chopped
A handful of fresh oregano chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
A generous dash of coarse ground black pepper
1/3 cup of water

Directions:

Throw everything into a large slow-cooker/crockpot, and cook on a low heat. Then go do whatever you want for the next 3 - 4 hours while the slow cooker does its thing. Just pop back after about 2 hours to give it a stir. Allow to cool a little, put mixture into plastic Glad boxes (recipe makes enough for 4 3-1/2 cup sized boxes), or you could use freezer bags. Place boxes/bags in freezer until required.
NOTE: Paula noticed I made a mistake with my timings, thanks Paula. It should have read 3 -4 hours. Also, this recipe makes a chunky sauce, which we prefer, if you like it smoother cook it for longer.

15 comments:

Chef Jeena said...

Sounds so delicious and healthy.:-)

Paula said...

What a great idea, Jan! Am I reading this correctly in that you cooked it for a total of 3 hours? As soon as our tomatoes decide to turn red, I'll give this a go. Do you think this would work with Roma's as well as Beefstakes? Those Glad containers sure to come in handy!

nicole said...

Well can I get some of your tomatoes? I wish I could grow tomatoes. There is nothing better then a home grown tomato. Looks good!

David Hall said...

Nice way of preserving tomatoes Jan. I make large batches of plain tomato sauce and freeze. ALways tastes better too!

Cheers
David

Beth (jamandcream) said...

I don't have a slow cooker unfortunately - but my Mum does - perhaps I will have to borrow it. Im always seeing recipes needing slow cooking

Jennifer said...

Jan, what an excellent idea, I am about to get bombarded with my tomatoes when they all ripen at the same time! thanks!

Jan said...

Paula, You're right, that should have read 3-4 hours. I'll amend that. This would work with any tomatoes, you'll just need to use more romas.

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

Love your tomato gloop! I can never have enough tomatoes.

Paula said...

Hi again Jan! Thanks for the update. I'll have a ton of romas in the next week or so ... hopefully. And, um, actually, I didn't think there was an error, just wanted to make sure how long to cook it since the controls on my slow cooker are super duper basic. I like a chunky sauce! I like a smooth sauce, too. Oh gee, I like it all!

Emily said...

It looks very colorful and yummy. I thought the onions were fresh mozzarella for a second...

Jan said...

That looks lovely Jan!
PS: I've passed on the award - thank you again!

test it comm said...

Nice way to use the fresh ripe tomatoes!

Raquel said...

Lovely, Jan! I did some similar, except put chili powder in, so they are ready to make Chili this winter! Much love - Raquel XO

Pam said...

This sounds great! I love finding new ways to use tomatoes - we eat them so much. Another great recipe Jan.

Jan said...

Thanks everyone for all your lovely comments, you are just too kind.

And Beth, you really must invest in a slow cooker, for a working mum like yourself they are especially useful.