Recipes with tomato paste "A box of Astrakhan tomatoes"

We all enjoy fragrant ground tomatoes in summer. But a little time will pass, and they will leave the market, giving way to tomatoes that do not please with either taste or aroma. How do you keep that “same” summer taste and enjoy your favorite dishes in any season?

Walk through the summer market, buy a mountain of cheaper tomatoes and cook everything at home - adjika, lecho, stuffed peppers with tomato sauce - here it is, the joy of summer! But did you know that a crate of tomatoes in any month of the year can be on hand if you use quality tomato paste?

"A box of Astrakhan tomatoes" is a Russian brand of tomato paste, which is produced at the full-cycle enterprise APK Astrakhan. The entire production process - from growing seedlings to harvesting and processing fruits - is concentrated where there are optimal conditions for ripening tomatoes - under the hot sun of the Astrakhan region.

Therefore, you can catch the taste of summer at any time by adding tomato paste to the dish, which has a bright and natural taste of fresh tomatoes, as it does not contain sugar, s alt, starch and food additives.

Natural and he althy. Homemade ketchup

Cooking it is not as difficult as it seems. The base is natural tomato paste. Fresh herbs will add new flavors to the sauce. It is enough to follow the simple rules of conservation so that the sauce can be stored for a long time in sealed bottles or jars. In addition, homemade ketchup is much he althier than any store-bought ketchup because it does not contain thickeners or preservatives. The use of tomato paste "A Box of Astrakhan Tomatoes" allows you to independently control the desired balance of sugar and s alt, because they are not contained in the paste itself. You can use this sauce not only for meat, but also for spaghetti, lasagna or stew.

You will need:

• ½ fresh red chili (seeds removed)
• 1 large red onion (peeled and coarsely chopped)
• 1 celery stalk (peeled, chopped)
• olive oil
• 4-5 cm piece of fresh ginger (peeled and chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 bunch fresh basil (leaves only)
• 2 pcs carnations
• 1 tbsp l. coriander seed
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• sea s alt
• 100 ml red wine vinegar
• 70g brown sugar
• 1 can of Tomato Paste "Crate of Astrakhan Tomatoes" 205 g (equal to 1.4 kg of fresh tomatoes)
• sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme (optional)

1. Heat oil in a large non-stick heavy bottomed saucepan, add chopped vegetables and ginger, spices and saute, stirring occasionally, over low heat for 10-15 minutes, until soft.
2. Dilute tomato paste with boiled water to the consistency of yogurt, add to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Sprinkle the basil leaves (optional thyme or rosemary leaves) into the pot, then blend the sauce with an immersion blender until smooth.
4. Add vinegar and sugar. Place the saucepan over low heat and simmer until the sauce has the consistency of ketchup. At this point, season again to taste.
5. Spread the finished sauce into sterilized jars or bottles, cork, wrap in a warm blanket and leave to cool completely.

Hearty breakfast. Shakshuka

Spicy, hearty, moderately spicy dish with the right balance of vegetables and protein. Fresh aromatic herbs are a must! And it's best to take bigger eggs.

You will need:

• 5–6 eggs
• 1 red bell pepper (cut, seeds removed, diced)
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp ground paprika
• 1/4 tsp dried chili peppers
• a pinch of ground cumin
• olive oil for frying
• 4 tbsp. l. tomato paste "A box of Astrakhan tomatoes"
• a small bunch of cilantro
• s alt, freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Heat 2 tbsp. l. olive oil, put the onion in a pan and fry, stirring, until golden brown. Add paprika, chili and cumin, stir, after a minute add chopped bell pepper, cook for another 5-7 minutes.
2. Put the tomato paste into the pan and pour in hot water to achieve the consistency of the sauce while stirring. Cook for 3-5 minutes, then season with s alt to taste and add minced garlic.
3. Make indentations in the sauce with a spoon and gently break an egg into each. Reduce the heat by half, cover the pan with a lid for 5 minutes. Then open, s alt the yolks, add chopped cilantro and move the pan to the table on the board. Serve toasted baguette or pita bread with shakshuka.

Super snack. Hungarian Lecho

Peppers from a jar can be served as an appetizer, and a filling of high-quality tomato paste can be used as a sauce.

You will need for 6 liter jars:

• 3 kg sweet peppers
• 2 l of tomato juice from “A box of Astrakhan tomatoes” tomato paste (for 1 glass of water - 2 tablespoons of tomato paste)
• 600g onion
• 100 g sugar
• 2 tbsp. l. s alt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 10 black peppercorns
• 100 ml 6% vinegar
• 200 ml vegetable oil

1. Wash the sweet pepper, cut each pod in half, remove the stalks with seeds, cut the flesh into strips.
2. Pour tomato juice from tomato paste into a large saucepan, add sugar, s alt, bay leaf and spices. Bring to a boil.
3. In a pan for 2 tbsp. l. oil, brown the chopped onion and transfer to a saucepan with tomato juice. Pour in the remaining oil and vinegar, cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add bell peppers to the pot, cook for 15 minutes. Stir, add more s alt if necessary, and arrange in sterilized jars. Sterilize for 25 minutes, then seal.
5. Turn the jars over onto a towel, wrap them in a warm blanket and leave to cool completely.

For a party. Spicy tomato juice

The drink is somewhat reminiscent of the classic Bloody Mary cocktail, with tomato juice and vodka. But without alcohol and with interesting additions, this is a great drink for a party.

You will need for 1 serving:

• 1 glass of clean water
• 1 tbsp l. tomato paste "A box of Astrakhan tomatoes"
• 30ml lemon juice
• 5 ice cubes
• 0.5 tsp sea s alt
• a pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Optional for different flavors:

• 0.5 tsp Tabasco sauce
• horseradish sliced into thin petals
• finely sliced ginger
• chopped chili
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• lemon or lime slices

1. To make juice, stir the tomato paste well in the water, adding s alt and pepper. Place a few ice cubes in a shaker, add lemon juice, if desired, add horseradish, ginger or chili pepper, smoked paprika or a few drops of Tabasco for taste, pour in tomato juice.
2. Close the shaker and shake vigorously. Pour into glasses, garnish with celery sticks or basil.

For a family dinner. Georgian beef and tomato ragout

This dish is called "Chashushuli" and is prepared with fresh tomatoes in summer and good tomato paste in winter, which makes the sauce richer. Chili pepper will give the dish a slight spiciness, but it should not be too spicy so that you feel all the tastes and aromas at once - the sourness of tomatoes, the taste of meat, the aroma of fresh cilantro and spices.

You will need for 4 servings:

• 450-500g stew beef (cut into 3 cm cubes)
• 2–3 tbsp l. butter or ghee
• 2 large onions
• 1 tsp mixes of Georgian spices
• 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 1 chili pepper (seeds removed, pepper chopped)
• 1 carrot (peeled)
• 1 sweet pepper
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 4 tbsp. l. tomato paste "A box of Astrakhan tomatoes"
• 1, 5 cups of water
• s alt and pepper to taste

For submission:

• 0, 5 cups chopped cilantro
• 2-3 sprigs of basil
• 2 tbsp. l. chopped parsley

1. In a large cast iron skillet, melt half the butter, add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add the remaining oil to the pan and add the meat. Fry in batches until golden brown.
3. Return all browned meat and onions to the pan, add spices and half the chopped garlic, cook 1 minute.
4. Pour in water, add coarsely chopped carrots and bell peppers, tomato paste, stir, bring to a boil. Put the tied bunch of cilantro and chopped chili in the stew, cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally and adding water if the sauce thickens too much. The meat should become soft and tender.
5. Remove bunch of cilantro from skillet, season stew to taste, add fresh chopped herbs and remaining garlic, stir, let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.