# Too much tomato paste?



## torontowannabe (Feb 14, 2007)

Okay. So I will make a promise that I will TRY to make this the last question on veal demi. How much is too much tomato paste? My stock is simmering right now. I forget how much exact bones I used (maybe 12-14 pounds?) but I'm cooking in a 24 qt stock pot that's almost full. And I put in 3 small 5 oz can of tomato paste. So my stock has instantly taken an orange hue...I still have about 5-6 hours of simmer time left.

Is this something I sould be worried about? Will my demi be ruined? okay?Am I just over stressing here, because I'm a demi virgin? 

Thanks so much for all your help...


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## someday (Aug 15, 2003)

Um, yeah that sounds like too much. You added almost a pound of tomato paste to the liquid, that is a lot.

Are you making a brown stock? If I add tomato paste to a stock, I make sure that the tomato paste is cooked a little, either with mirepoix or directly on the bones in the last few minutes of browning. You probably don't want to add raw tomato paste directly to stock. 

Also, I am sure if you are making demi then you are going to reduce the stock down considerably. This will intensify the tomato flavor in the stock, obviously.

The tomato paste is only there to deepen the color a bit and add a little bit of umami and rich feel to the stock. You can omit it completely as I usually do...or at least make sure you are using a lot less. 

I dunno, maybe it will be okay. It might not be too overwhelming tomato flavor, and it could be usable. Try it and see. All part of the learning process.


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## oldschool1982 (Jun 27, 2006)

I don't think/can't remember if I ever directly added tomato paste to the sauce. Like Someday, I "painted" the bones with it during the roasting process or added it to the mirepoix during the sweating process (prior to the flour)but......

Anywho, 15oz seems to be a tad too much. Anytime I've made it (granted it has been a long time since the last) the color is a nice light golden brown but but can't say I ever saw orange.

I wouldn't say it's ruined but...... Could call it a Tomato/veal Demi:look:


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

You can normally skim off some of that. Somehow it colors the fat and I think if you chill it and remove the cake of fat on top you'll be able to lose the color.


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