Tomato Paste
December 8th, 2007
One of my favorite recipe ingredients is tomato paste. But I hate those inconvienent cans that it usually comes in. I rarely use a whole can and then I need to either throw the rest away or find some small plastic jar to save it in. Not any more. You can now find the paste packaged in containers that resemble toothpaste tubes. Check your grocery store or you can get great tasting double concentrated tomato paste at my favorite place to buy ingredients. Using the stuff is as easy as squeezing out the amount of paste you need and then storing the tube in your refrigerator or cooler. Unopened tubes last a long time at room temperatures.
I like to include a little tomato paste in soups, stews and other hearty dishes. Add the paste to the saute pan with your base veggies like onions, carrots and celery and let the paste carmelize a bit. The tomato intensifies the meaty flavor in beef dishes and adds richness to vegetarian fare.
