FREEZING CHERRY TOMATOES WHOLE RECIPES

Steps:

• Put 4 tablespoons olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Lower heat as necessary to keep mixture from browning. Remove from heat while preparing tomatoes.
• Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add whole tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes, until skins loosen. Immediately plunge tomatoes in a bowl of cold water to cool, then drain. With a paring knife, core tomatoes and slip off skins. Cut tomatoes into thick wedges.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Return skillet to stove over medium-high heat. Add tomato wedges and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until mixture is juicy and tomatoes have softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to a shallow earthenware baking dish.
• Put shrimp in a mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, season shrimp with salt and pepper and stir to coat. Arrange shrimp over tomato mixture in one layer. Crumble cheese over surface and sprinkle with oregano.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until tomatoes are bubbling and cheese has browned slightly. Remove from oven and let dish rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with mint and serve.

Steps:

• Working in batches, quarter or coarsely chop the tomatoes and add them to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to your desired level of chunkiness.
• Transfer the tomato puree to a large stockpot, then repeat Step 1 until all tomatoes are processed.
• Place the stockpot over medium-high heat and bring the puree to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 90 minutes until the tomato sauce is thickened to your liking.
• When the sauce is finished, let cool to room temperature, then transfer to jars and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
• Prepare a boiling water bath and 4 to 6 quart-sized canning jars.
• Follow the directions above through Step 3. Remove the stockpot from heat.
• Transfer the hot tomato sauce to warmed jars, leaving about 1 inch of headspace.
• Stir in 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice per jar.
• Wipe the rims with a towel, then seal with lids and bands.
• Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 40 minutes, adjusting time for altitude as needed.