If you have lots of homemade tomato paste left and you don’t know what you can do with them, keep reading. We have some ideas for you to use your leftover tomato paste. There is a good chance that you have some tomato paste stashed away in one of your cabinets, either in the form of a jar or a tube, just waiting to be used. Tomato paste is an ingredient that is indispensable in the kitchen. It is the kind of thing that you will put on your shopping list at all times, even if you do not currently have any plans to prepare a dish that calls for it, simply because you never know when you might need it. According to Sophina Uong, chef and proprietor of Mister Mao in New Orleans, tomato paste is the equivalent of a "little black dress" when it comes to ingredients. "You have to store it in your pantry to maintain its extra caramelized umami depth, as well as its sweetness and velvety rich color. Tomato paste is one of those fundamental items that help to educate cooks on how to build a solid foundation for preparing delicious sauces."
Chef and food blogger Marta Rivera Diaz of Sense and Edibility says, "I think tomato paste is a useful addition to many kitchens because of how much flavor it lends to a variety of different dishes." For example, substituting one tablespoon of tomato paste for a big amount of tomato sauce or fresh tomatoes in a dish like chili, stew, or beans eliminates the need for a larger quantity of either ingredient, both of which tend to dilute the flavor of whatever they are added to. According to the dietitian Amber O'Brien of the Mango Clinic, tomato paste possesses a multitude of positive effects on one's health. "Lycopene is present in significant amounts in tomato paste. This substance is an antioxidant, and as such, it guards both your body and skin against the potentially damaging effects of free radicals. Therefore, in addition to being a flexible component, tomato paste possesses several important health benefits, which unquestionably render it a beneficial addition to the storage space in any kitchen "O'Brien tells us. Tomato paste is frequently and strongly connected with pizza and pasta sauces; yet, its value goes far beyond these usual applications. When we interviewed ten chefs and restaurant owners about their preferred applications for tomato paste, they provided us with the following very helpful recommendations for making the most of that tiny can (or tube). It will bring an additional depth of umami to stews if you use it.
"Adding tomato paste to a dish not only adds a ton of flavor, but it also gives the food an almost umami flavor." If you're having trouble deciding what to do with your food, try adding some tomato paste. Rachel Lessenden, the founder of Health My Lifestyle and a recipe developer, shared her thoughts. In terms of particular foods that can benefit from the flavor of tomato paste, Lessenden informs us that "I adore adding it to stews," which is one of the recipes that can make use of this ingredient. It contributes to the thickening process and imparts an outstanding flavor depth! Marinara sauce purchased from the store should have a teaspoon of tomato paste mixed into it. In comparison to handmade marinara sauce, the one sold in jars typically does not have the same level of richness. However, if you find yourself in a time crunch and need to use store-bought marinara sauce, chef and dietitian Cindy Chou of Healthy Feels recommends adding tomato paste to store-bought marinara sauce to "amp up the taste profile." Make your homemade barbecue sauce with it. "Making your barbecue sauce is a really fun and creative way to use tomato paste! To prepare the base, all you need is a can of tomato sauce and some tomato paste. After that, you may add any number of different spices, sweeteners, vinegar, or even fruit to give it a taste. In her book, Burrata and Bubbles, recipe developer Amanda McGrory-Dixon of Burrata and Bubbles give the following piece of advice: "The procedure is so simple, and the result is much nicer than anything you'd purchase in the store." Tomato paste is a wonderful ingredient to use in Korean cuisine.
When I'm creating Korean foods, I prefer to add some tomato paste to the dish. According to Andrew Lim, executive chef of PERILLA in Chicago, "the inclusion of tomato paste gives a very delightful and surprising flavor and texture." Korean cuisine very rarely, if ever, calls for tomato paste, so the addition of it offers a very wonderful and unexpected flavor and texture. To be more specific, Lim enjoys making "a Korean dish called dahk-tori-tahng, which is a spicy braised chicken with fried potatoes, carrots, onions, and whatever other root vegetables you choose" using tomato paste. In its traditional form, the dish combines sweet, salty, and spicy flavors. To begin, I turn the chicken over so that the skin is down so that I can get a good texture and then I render away as much of the chicken fat as I can. During the process of roasting the vegetables, one of my favorite things to do is combine tomato paste with a Korean chili paste combination, similar to a sofrito (gochujang, soy sauce, chopped garlic, chopped ginger, Korean chili flakes, salt, and sugar), and then add that mixture. This imparts a flavorful aroma to the veggies and gives the broth or sauce a luxurious and velvety consistency. When making your Bloody Mary mix, tomato paste is an essential ingredient. Jeremy Ross, the general manager of Tiki Thai in Reston, Virginia, mixes his Bloody Mary mix with the assistance of tomato paste rather than purchasing one that is already produced. "It is in your best interest to create your Bloody Mary mix, as doing so is not at all difficult. I combine tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, freshly grated ginger, and ground black pepper in a mixing bowl. 
I mixed that with vodka and ice, and then I garnished the drink with olives and a celery stalk "Ross explains. Delicious tomato powder can be made from tomato paste that has been dried out. While we are discussing Bloody Marys, Jack Yoss, the Vice President of Culinary at Hai Hospitality in Austin, Texas, suggests using the following ratio of tomato paste to vodka in your Bloody Marys: "Dehydrate the paste by processing it in a blender or food processor until all of the water has evaporated in a slow-heated oven. Make a seasoning using this tomato powder by using it. Tomatoes prepared with tomato powder as a seasoning? scrumptious and packed to the brim with taste In addition to that, you can season the rim of a glass with chili pepper, salt, and tomato powder. excellent for use in Bloody Marys." Create a zesty vinaigrette by combining tomato paste, vinegar, olive oil, and fresh herbs in a mixing bowl. When we inquired about novel applications for tomato paste with the executive sous chef Kendall Linhart of The Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, we received the following thought-provoking suggestion: "Put tomato paste in vinaigrettes! During the warm summer months, I like to marinate artichokes in a vinaigrette made of red wine vinegar, fresh herbs, garlic, tomato paste, and olive oil for at least one full day. The next day, I give those puppies a toss on a hot grill to make a fantastically nutritious appetizer or side dish to go with the remainder of my grilled feast that I have prepared." In a ragù, you can use this for tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes.
The following is some advice from Andrea Belfiore, chef and founder of Italia Like Locals, on how to give tomato flavor to a meat sauce without compromising its richness or texture "In place of fresh tomatoes or classic tomato sauce, try using tomato paste to make a traditional Bolognese ragù. It imparts a scrumptious tomato flavor without wetting down the sauce you're making. Ragù needs to have a robust flavor, plenty of meat, and thick consistency. If you want to make a "rule" out of it, you can add some tomato paste to any meal that has a basis made of tomatoes. It will just make the flavor and color more intense, but overall it will make it richer." When making a ragù, use this ingredient in place of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes. To impart tomato taste to a meat sauce without making compromises on its richness or texture, follow this advice from chef and founder Andrea Belfiore of Italia Like Locals and she will show you how to do it "If you don't have any fresh tomatoes or tomato sauce on hand, you can make a traditional Bolognese ragù by substituting tomato paste for the tomatoes and tomato sauce. It imparts a scrumptious tomato flavor without watering down your sauce in any way. It is essential for ragù to have a robust flavor, a substantial amount of meat, and thick consistency. Any recipe that has a tomato foundation can benefit from the addition of some tomato paste, and doing so can be considered a "rule" in and of itself.
The only effect it will have is to accentuate the flavor as well as the color, which will result in a more luxurious end product." Make a marinade by combining tomato paste with other spices. Chef Nikolaos Kapernaros of Avli in the Park in Chicago says the following, according to his experience: "One of my personal favorites behind-the-scenes uses for tomato paste is to marinate a wonderful cut of beef in spices and tomato paste before cooking it. After the meat has been marinated, prepare a slow roast in the oven by adding vegetables, red wine, and other herbs." Because the tomato paste lends both sweetness and acidity to the marinade, the final cut of meat is exploding with flavor. An excellent finishing oil and emulsifying ingredient, tomato oil is produced by pressing tomato paste into the oil.To manufacture tomato oil, Josue Pena, head chef at The Iberian Pig in Atlanta, prefers to infuse olive oil with tomato paste. This allows him to make tomato oil. According to Pena's comments on Allrecipes, "It's much easier than you may imagine." In addition to this, he mentions that "a fantastic method of utilizing it is as an emulsifying agent to finish a pasta meal," such as in a beef sauce. "This is a great way of using it."
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