Dalmatian style tomato sauce {Pomodori / rajčice}

In mid August in Croatia when there are way more tomatoes (Pomodori / rajčice) than you can eat in a salad. So what do you do with the excess tomatoes? How about making tomato sauce? Not like that junk you get in a Heinz bottle, but the kind you use to make pasta and pizzas.

Just like with the cabbage planting and many other things here in Privlaka, making the sauce is a family affair. The process for making the sauce is fairly simple, but it does take some time, so it’s best enjoyed with cherry rakija (a cherry infused grappa) and a few slices of cheese from the island of Pag, just like we did.

Preparing the tomatoes

Step 1 – Pick off the vine the most ripe tomatoes. Leave behind any tomatoes which have fallen on the ground – these are no good to use.

I didn’t do this job; I did not wake up early enough.

Step 2 – Wash each tomato to ensure that any dirt and dust has been removed.

Again, not this expat. This time I blame Vladimir, he was too busy playing with them, and I was supervising.
expat cooking tomatoes red summer garden

Step 3 – Blanch the tomatoes in batches, making sure that you leave them long enough so that the skin can be peeled off. Edit: Tinica, commented below that you should mark 2 small crosses on one end of the tomatoes before blanching. it makes for easy peeling.

Ta-da, this one I helped with. I felt a bit like a school kid in my home economics class. The teacher was watching me, and even though I am totally capable of putting a tomato in a pot of hot water. I felt like I would make a mistake. Phew, no errors.

expat cooking blanch tomatoes for salsa

Step 4 – Take a small knife and peel off all of skin on each one.

Yay, me again – I’m earning some serious expat cred now. This one I was not perfect at. For some reason more meaty goodness stuck to my skin that that of my Teta (Aunty) sitting next to me. I know that she has 50+ years experience of doing this, but I wanted to make her proud.
expat vladimir with red tomatoes

Step 5 – Make several incisions in the fruit, while keeping it whole. Using your thumb remove the seeds and squeeze the majority of the tomato juice out.

Booooom, me again. Except this time, I had to keep asking the professional in the family if I was doing okay. She nodded every time, commenting odlično, meaning excellent. But I have to say; I really did not believe her one bit. Hers looked so much better than mine, so I guess what she meant was “great, given that this is your first time, and luckily we have loads more tomatoes and need your help”

Step 6 – Dice into thumbnail size pieces. Set aside, and now make your sauce base.

By this stage my hands were red, and itchy. I stepped back to admire my newfound skill, whilst sipping on my cherry rakija.

expat cooking squeeze tomatoes for salsa

Now to make the sauce.

Step 1 – Peel and dice a few onions, and fry off in some extra virgin olive oil.

Step 2 – Peel and dice a few carrots, dice several peppers/paprikas, and slice up several eggplants and add to the onions. Continue to fry until the onions are translucent and the eggplant has softened.

Step 3 – Add in the prepared tomatoes, and simmer for approx. 2 hours. Shake the pot every few mins.
expat cooking tomoato sauce dalmatian cooking

So far approx 6 batches have been made
expat cooking tomoato sauce dalmatian cooking

The freezer is FULL

Step 4 – Package into freezer containers, so you can enjoy for the next year.

    It’s the small things, but learning how to  do things like make tomato sauce or planting cabbages really makes us feel like such locals, and no the expats we are. Even though we are still such city slickers, I feel it’s a great start. You gotta start somewhere…right?

Source:

http://www.chasingthedonkey.com/when-expats-make-dalmatian-tomato-sauce/