TOMATO PATE

Always on the lookout for different recipes to use garden tomatoes, I came across a recipe in the chubby vegetarian and made a few alterations to the original recipe.  The tomatoes cook down and what is left is a concentrated spread of tomatoes - what I call a pate.  This pate can be used as a spread with cheese and crackers, with omelets or with fresh bread.   I have also used this pate as a condiment with baked chicken.

I didn't have three pounds of cherry tomatoes so I used close to 2 pounds of cherry tomatoes and then cut up several tomatoes to make a total of three pounds.   For the red pepper flakes I used dehydrated red pepper flakes that I had purchased from one of the herb and spice companies that are sold by friends who always have catalogs on hand.

Cooking in the pot.

I bagged the tomato pate in half cup portions for freezing.

TOMATO PATE

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds of cherry tomatoes, halved

2/3 cup sugar or ½ cup splenda

juice and lemon zest from one lemon

salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp of red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS:

Add all of the ingredients to a large stock pot and heat on high to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 to 2 hours until the mixture is reduced by half and has a thick consistency.   Cool.  Spoon into small canning jars or freezer jars and freeze.  You can also store it in the fridge and it will keep for about two weeks.  Makes about 3 cups.

Adapted from http://chubbyvegetarian.blogspot.ca/