For best consistency and remove the seeds and skins then the place to mill IMO would be between paragraphs 1 and 2 in the instructions - just before you add the sun-dried tomatoes to it. That way the tomatoes, celery, garlic, onion, zucchini and green pepper all get milled.

Dave

Excellent! So, I jumped the gun this morning because I wanted to see how my new Victorio was going to work out. I'm a tool hound so I was excited to see what it could do. I'm only part way through milling the tomatoes.

If I proceed this way and cook it down, could I use my immersion blender to pull it all together for a better consistency?

My preference -- and I'm not preachy about this -- is not to mill at all. I keep the skins and seeds in the sauce, that's where the greatest nutritional benefit is in terms of lycopene anti-oxidant and beta-carotene (and even more so, some say, in orange- and yellow-fruited tomatoes). While cooking any sauce reduces nutrient yield somewhat, removing skins and seeds reduces it more dramatically. Others may disagree in terms of aesthetics or taste.

<could I use my immersion blender to pull it all together for a better consistency?>

Probably. Can't say how the consistency would compare as no experience with immersion blender. I just prefer the flavor blending of the different ingredients one gets with milling the various ingredients all together.

As for seeds and skins - it is a personal preference/choice. But the digestive issues caused by the skins and seeds is a problem for many in addition to the mouth feel, the texture when they are left in.

We've tried it both ways and have come to prefer the seeds and skins removed. My dentures don't like them. :-)

Dave

I also have a son with food texture issues, so being able to blend this batch will be good for him. Thanks all for the feedback.. anne

Blending this sauce, made a wonderfully tasty sauce. I did sub 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar for 2 Tbsp of the red wine vinegar which gave it some sweet undertones and I may have been a tad bit more heavy handed with the red wine, but it was truly excellent.

One other question. In general, if making a tomato sauce recipe that has other veggies in it such as some of the other Ellie Topp recipes or the Ball Book or NCHFP Spaghetti Sauce without Meat recipe, is it safe to blend the ingredients together either by immersion blending or putting through a food mill then continue cooking down to the desired thickness? If so, would this change the pressure canning processing times? I live at 1057 feet, so I can with 15 lbs for 20 minutes for pints.

Thanks, Anne

Pureeing before canning has restrictions. As a general guideline pureeing anything IF it is not called for in the recipe as written will void the processing time in the recipe and possibly void the method of processing required too.

Thickness slows heat penetration. So each recipe would have to be evaluated individually if you elected to puree it when it wasn't called for to insure that the pH and density would remain at safe levels.

The guidelines recommend that if you want to puree a food that is not written and tested as pureed, you do it only after the jar is opened for use.

OK?

Dave

Got it. For tomato prep in recipes that call to chop them and cook them as is or that call for blanching, peeling and chopping, is it ok to prepare them first through a food mill instead (using the basic or salsa screens for a bit more chunk) then continue with the recipe?

In the case of Ellie's recipe here, pureeing wasn't called for, but in your experience you thought it would be ok to mill the toms and veggies together without incident. Was there something obvious that triggered it would be ok? I've read in the discussions that some folks use litmus strips or a pH meter to just verify the range of the finished product. I understand this has limited usefulness as recipes can have multiple components of varying pH and that pH can change over time. However is it a good practice as a canner to confirm your product isn't way off the mark when putting it in the jars?

thanks again!

In this particular case it is first, that it is Ellie's Topp's recipe and they have all been tested and well within the margins of safety so a bit of flex is allowed.

Then second the large amount of the wine and vinegar added is not only sufficient for controlling the pH of the vegetables when compared to several other tested recipes but will also reduce the density.

Just as using the large juicy tomatoes rather than just all paste types dilutes the density. If it was all paste tomatoes it would likely be too dry and thick.

And finally the longer processing time than usually associated with similar recipes. But none of those factors can be generalized to other recipes. Each recipe, if it is to be modified, has to first be evaluated in its totality.

<is it a good practice as a canner to confirm your product isn't way off the mark when putting it in the jars?>

It could be IF done accurately and that is the problem - poor quality equipment or mis-use far too often gives false, misleading readings indicating safety when it really isn't. Even the best pH meters require frequent re-calibration and testing and litmus paper expires quickly and is easily affected by atmospheric conditions such as humidity.

OK?

Dave