Hi everyone! It's been a long time since I've posted here. I'd like to make Ball's vodka pasta sauce for canning in a water bath canner. However, I do not have a food mill or even a fine sieve (why don't I have these things?). I'd like to make it similarly to Ellie Topp's Chunky Tomato Basil Sauce, using 8 cups of already prepped tomatoes (skinned, cored, seeded, gooed), but keeping the sauce a little chunky. So, I'd be skipping step 5 and using 8 cups of already prepped tomatoes and then following the rest of the recipe as stated. Vodka has an acidity of 4. Do you think that these are reasonable changes and will be safe?

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 250 g onion (finely chopped. 1 1/2 cups, 9 oz. Measurements after prep.)
• 5 cloves garlic (washed, peeled, minced)
• 250 ml vodka (1 cup / 8 oz)
• 125 ml water (1/2 cup / 4 oz)
• 2 teaspoons salt (OR non-bitter, non-clouding salt sub)
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 kg tomatoes (6 lbs)
• 2 sprigs basil (fresh, large sprigs)
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice (bottled. 1/4 cup / 60 ml. OR 1 teaspoon citric acid.)

Instructions

1. Put everything from the onion down to and including the black pepper in a large pot at least 8 litres (quarts) in size. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and let simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, wash the tomatoes, core, and chop coarsely. Set aside.
3. Add tomatoes and any juice off them to the pot.
4. Bring pot back to a boil, reduce heat down to a simmer, and let simmer uncovered until both tomatoes and onion are very soft.
5. Press this tomato mixture in small batches through a food mill or sieve, and discard the skin and seeds.
6. Put strained tomato mixture back in the pot.
7. Add the basil.
8. Put heat to medium-high and let cook for about 45 minutes or until the volume of the sauce is reduced by half.
9. Remove basil.
10. Stir in either the citric acid OR the lemon juice.
11. Ladle sauce into heated jars.
12. Leave 2 cm (1/2 inch) headspace.
13. Debubble, adjust headspace.
14. Wipe jar rims.
15. Put lids on.
16. Process in a water bath or steam canner.
17. Process jars for 40 minutes; increase time as needed for your altitude.