Plum Tomatoes Genovese

Submitted by JenSmith

"This recipe comes from Barbara Ciletti's "Creative Pickling at Home", a wonderful cookbook that I happened upon at the library. She advises to "choose tomatoes that are firm and ripe, avoiding soft or juicy specimens." Try to use them up within 3--4 months for best flavor."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 10mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Yields: 4 pints
• Serves: 16-20

ingredients

• 24 -36 firm plum tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon pickling salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 cups white wine vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup fresh genovese or large-leaf basil, cleaned
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole (do not use bruised garlic(see Tip below)

directions

1. Clean the tomatoes, remove cores and seeds, and cut a small X in the bottom, being careful not to cut too deeply.
2. In a large saucepan, heat 3 quarts water to a medium boil. place tomatoes in a wire basket and lower them inot the boilign water for 20-30 seconds, or until the skins begin to crack and split. remove from the boiling water, and dip the basket of tomatoes in cold water for approximately 1 minute. Remove the basket from the cold water and set aside. (If you don't have a wire basket, just use a slotted spoon to lift tomatoes from the waters.).
3. In a medium saucepan, heat the salt, sugar, vinegar, and water over medium heat until the liquied begins to bubble. reduce heat and keep the liquid hot. Core and peel the tomatoes. Pack them into hot, sterilized canning jars with the garlic and basil. Pour the hot vinegar-water over the tomato mixture, leaving 1/2 inch head space.
4. Depending on the volume of the tomatoes in the jars, you may need to adjust the amount of liquid. To do this, simply combine equal parts of vinegar and water to cover the tomatoes once they are packed. Release any air bubbles using a rubber spatula or chopstick. Add the lids and rings, making sure to tight rings only fingertip tight.
5. Process the jars in a hot water bath for 30 minutes.
6. Remove the jars and set aside to seal and cool before storing.
7. Tip: To ease in peeling the garlic without bruising, blanch the cloves for 20 seconds in the boiling water before blanching the tomatoes. Plunge them into cold water for 1 minute, then rub off the skins.