Preparing pelati tomatoes in their own juice: step-by-step recipe with photos

Pelati tomatoes are nothing more than a variety of canned tomatoes. As can be understood from the name, its roots are Italian. Pelati (from Italian "pelati" translates as "peeled") are made from whole, peeled tomatoes, without the addition of spices or vinegar. This allows for maximum preservation of their natural taste and aroma. This method of preservation has gained popularity due to its versatility: pelati tomatoes can be used as a base for sauces (including the most famous Bolognese), soups (minestrone), pizza (mmm, tomato base), stews, and countless other dishes where a rich tomato flavor is needed. Even classic red borscht can be made with pelati tomatoes. 

Unlike pickled or fermented tomatoes, which have a specific sweet or sour taste (due to the addition of vinegar or natural fermentation), pelati tomatoes retain the natural taste of ripe tomatoes. Therefore, we decided to try this method of preserving tomatoes. 

From this amount of tomatoes, we were able to make four half-liter jars of the finished product. Depending on your preferences and capabilities, the proportions can be increased or decreased.

Thoroughly wash the tomatoes. Set aside 2.5 kg for blanching, 1 kg for making juice. On each of the tomatoes designated for blanching, make a crosswise cut at the top.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the tomatoes in the boiling water for 30-60 seconds. Then quickly transfer them to a bowl of cold water and ice to stop the cooking process.

Carefully peel the skin off each tomato. If the skin does not come off easily, repeat the previous step once more.

From one kilogram of tomatoes, we will make juice. Cut into quarters and use a food processor and a screw juicer to extract the juice. If you don’t have a juicer – you can blend the tomatoes with a blender and strain the resulting mass through a sieve. In this case, you should allocate an additional 20 minutes for this process. 

From one kilogram of tomatoes, we managed to obtain 830 ml of juice. We need to pour it into a pot, add 1-2 teaspoons of salt, bring to a boil, and simmer on low heat for 3-5 minutes. If we cook it longer, the juice may change color from deep red to rusty.

Sterilize the jars by any convenient method. We used the microwave sterilization method: filled them with water to one-third of their volume and set to maximum power. After 7 minutes, the water in the jars boiled and sterilized the jars. 

Fill the sterilized jars with the peeled tomatoes, pouring in the cooked juice.

Place the jars with tomatoes in a large pot of water (the water level should be slightly below the jar lids). You can place a cloth or towel at the bottom of the pot (so that the jars do not crack from contact with hot metal). Without covering with lids, sterilize the jars for 20-30 minutes over medium heat.

At the same time, sterilize the lids in another container (boil them for 5-7 minutes in boiling water), after which cover the jars with them. When a total of half an hour has passed, we can carefully remove the jars from the boiling water and screw on the lids. Wait for them to cool at room temperature, after which we can transfer them to a cool and dark place for further storage.

After preparation, pelati tomatoes can be confidently stored for a year. But since this is a veeeery tasty product, we cannot guarantee that they will last on the pantry shelf for that long ;)