Step 1: WASHING THE TOMATOES

• Wash the tomatoes in a large tub of cold water.
• Cut out the stem end and any unripe yellow parts or any rotten parts.

Step 2: COOKING THE TOMATOES

• Set up fire or gas ring to get blanching cauldron ready
• Have water at the boil.
• Drop tomatoes in carefully.
• Bring them up to the boil once more and leave at the boil for 3-4 minutes longer.
• Scoop them from the water and allow to drain well. The longer they drain, the thicker the sauce will become.
• Keep the water at the boil to repeat the process with more tomatoes

Step 3: EXTRACTING THE SAUCE

• The cooked and drained tomatoes go through the sauce machine to separate the seeds and the peel from the flesh.
• Run the extruded waste through the machine a couple more times to extract more sauce from them. Mix the resulting sauce thoroughly to get an even consistency.

Step 4: FILLING THE BOTTLES

• Add a leaf or two of basil to each empty bottle.
• Fill the bottle with the sauce
• Wipe the rims clean of any spilt sauce
• Seal tightly.

Step 5: PRESERVING THE SAUCE

• Line the sides and base of a drum with old rags, or many layers of newspaper
• Stack the bottles upright in pots or on their side in the drum, stacking them tightly
• Fill the drum with water to cover the level of the bottles.
• Bring it slowly to just below the boil (at least 80 deg C)
• When at temperature, start timing so that it stays for one hour at temperature.

Step 6: STORING THE BOTTLES

• The next day remove the bottles and store in a cool, dark place, out of direct sunlight.
• Use your passata sauce for a base when making a pasta sauce (eg a meat-based pasta sauce), adding flavours as you like.