The fruit of an annual plant or short-lived perennial Lycopersicon esculentum of which some varieties grow to over 2.5 m high whilst others are low bushes.
Tomato paste is tomato puree that has been cooked to remove almost all moisture. Tomato paste is thus a concentrated source of flavor, color and thickening power. It is also an effective emulsion stabilizer.
It is obtained by removal of peel and seeds from tomatoes, followed by concentration of juice by evaporation under vacuum. Good quality tomato paste is a homogenous mass, with a high density, without foreign bodies with a red color, an agreeable taste and smell, close to those of fresh tomatoes.
Tomato paste lends a deeper, rounded tomato flavor and color to many slow-simmered paste sauces as well as to Italian soups and stews.
A rule of thumbs for formulating with tomato paste is as follows:
Tomato paste/water 1:1 ratio ≈ puree
Tomato paste/water 1:2 ratio ≈ sauce
Tomato paste/water 1:3 ratio ≈ juice
What is tomato paste?
