Not just ketchup

When you have a jar of homemade tomato paste in your pantry, it opens up a channel of possibilities. Many of the sauces on store shelves that we love so much are made with tomato paste. If you already have such a preparation, why not go further and make your own cold and hot sauces by adding spices and seasonings to the tomato paste.

How to make homemade sauces based on tomato paste. The first thing many people will think of is ketchup. We are used to the fact that ketchup can only be a ready-made sauce, and few people know that it is easy to make it yourself, in your kitchen, if you have ready-made tomato paste. The myth that ketchup is harmful, dispels itself: you put into it only what will not hurt and like you and your children to taste. No chemicals, but natural and healthy products! In order that it did not differ in consistency from ready-made, turned out perfectly smooth, silky, as a store, you should additionally beat the tomato paste with an immersion blender until absolute homogenization.
Per 200 g of cooked tomato paste:
100 ml boiled water
1-2 tsp. salt
2-3 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. apple or grape vinegar
This is the basis of a classic ketchup. But all these ingredients can be adjusted based on your own taste. And also add garlic, fresh or dried herbs, hot red pepper and freshly ground black pepper, mustard, bay leaf, cinnamon. After adding the spices, the ketchup should be heated until the first signs of boiling.
Sauce for kebab on the basis of tomato paste
What a kebab without sauce! Dipping a hot, smoky-smelling piece of any meat, chicken or fish into a spicy tomato sauce is an indispensable ritual. You can make the sauce specifically with fresh tomatoes, or you can make it with homemade tomato paste. It is enough to add hot red pepper, cilantro, onions, garlic, if desired, a little vinegar and a pinch of sugar. Dilute a little with boiling water, if necessary.

For this sauce, first sauté the onions in vegetable oil, then add the tomato paste, 50 ml of water, a mixture of dried Italian herbs - for character - salt, sugar to taste. For 6 tbsp of paste, 1 small onion, 1 tbsp of herbs, 1 tbsp of vegetable oil, salt to taste and a pinch of sugar for balance is enough. Cook this sauce over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes.
Sauce -Sauce with homemade tomato paste
This simple sauce, which was used to pour over cutlets in the Soviet catering industry, is surprisingly liked by children who fortunately don't know what canteens are. Well-balanced in flavor, making any dish more appetizing, it may well be offered to children.

Gravy based on homemade tomato paste with cutlets is very liked by children.
To make the sauce you need:
1 small onion
50 grams of tomato paste
25 grams of wheat flour
50 gr of butter or vegetable oil
1 bay leaf
1 cup hot water
salt, black pepper to taste
1 pinch of sugar
Heat oil in a frying pan, add chopped onions. Saute onions until transparent and lightly browned. Onions don't need to fry very much. Add flour, stir it and fry all together until golden brown. Then add the tomato paste, stir it and cook for 2-3 minutes. As soon as the sauce thickens, add water, stirring intensively with a whisk. By the way: instead of water you can use chicken, beef or vegetable broth. Bring it to a boil, turn down the heat, salt and pepper it, add sugar and bay leaf.

Adjust to your taste. Cook for 4 minutes. In gravy if desired, you can add spices.
You can use it immediately as a sauce for meat and fish cutlets. Or you can make it twice as much and stew the cutlets in it after frying - 15-20 minutes.
In general, sauces based on tomato paste for cooking hot dishes is a separate big topic.
Any sauce is a matter of taste and a chance for culinary experimentation. Many cooks rightly believe that a sauce can fix any dish or give it a different character. We agree with them.
Start with tomato paste, add cumin, cinnamon, coriander, curry, and grated fresh ginger, and you will immediately get a taste of Indian cuisine. Or finely chopped basil and marjoram leaves, a mix of dried Mediterranean herbs - now chicken steaks have an Italian accent.
If you want it spicier, like in Mexico, feel free to add more hot chili peppers and some lime zest. This would be delicious with beef steaks!

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01.10.2022

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