When it comes to tomatoes in Italian cuisine, all tomatoes are not equal. That sunny sweet tomato burst of flavour of the best Italian tomato pasta sauces and pizza toppings needs real old-fashioned ripe tomatoes, ones that have soaked up the Mediterranean sun on the vine all summer long. Unless you have your own vegetable garden and can preserve enough tomatoes to last year-round, that flavour is going to come from the best quality tinned tomatoes, harvested at the point of ripeness and quickly canned in tomato juice to preserve all that flavour.
Italian Deli Online imports top quality Italian brands of tomatoes that really give that authentic Italian flavour, but there’s still a choice. So which tinned tomatoes should you go for?
San Marzano tomatoes – Pomodori San Marzano DOP
The cream of the Italian tomato crop is the San Marzano tomato, known for its sweetness and perfectly firm flesh. They are grown in the Campania region of Italy and have the DOP label to denote authenticity. These are what you need to reproduce the intense flavours from Naples and Southern Italy. They are more expensive than regular tomatoes but totally worth it if you want the best.
Whole peeled tomatoes – Pomodori Pelati
A very flexible canned tomato. You can remove the seeds from the whole tomato before chopping if the recipe requires. For thick sauces you can drain the juice and just use the tomato flesh, chopped or mashed. With longer cooking for soups and stews, whole canned tomatoes cook down to a smoother texture than canned chopped tomatoes.
Chopped tomatoes – Polpa di pomodoro
A convenient all-purpose tomato option when you are cooking pasta sauces, stews and soups and the recipe allows 30 minutes or more for the tomatoes to cook down. Chopped tomatoes tend to be firmer than whole canned tomatoes so retain a more chunky texture even in slow cooking.
Mashed or Pureed Tomatoes – Passata di pomodoro
When you want the smooth texture of pureed tomatoes. Passata can be used straight from the bottle as a pizza topping, or cooked briefly with the addition of olive oil, garlic and herbs for a super quick pasta sauce. Add to soups, sauces and stews instead of canned tomatoes when you want that tomato goodness without the chunks.
Find all these tomato products at https://www.italiandelionline.co.za/collections/canned-food-tomato-products for convenient online shopping with free delivery for orders over R500.
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