Here’s a run-down on canned tomato products and my fave tomato concentrate (that’s purée to you readers in the UK).
Canned Tomatoes
Juicy red tomatoes picked while still warm from the sun are something we hanker for during cooler months. Fortunately, over the centuries plenty of ways of capturing the intense, sweet flavour of tomatoes have developed. Essential store-cupboard items such as tomato concentrate and pastes, and canned and bottled tomatoes, bring a burst of sunshine when we need it most – in the cooler months.
There’s no shame in using a canned tomato rather than a fresh one. If a fresh tomato has not been grown in a hot sunny climate it won’t have developed its inherent balance of sweet-tang. A pale watery tomato will add water and nothing else to cooked dishes. Tomatoes need plenty of sunshine to develop their naturally sweet taste.
Plum tomatoes are best for sauces because they are fleshy and have fewer seeds. San Marzano is the top-of-the-line Italian variety, sometimes available here canned.
Whole canned tomatoes should be, well, whole! They should be a good red colour, not pale or orange-tinged. There should not be too much skin, and the flesh should not be pale around the cores which would indicate that the tomatoes were picked before they were ripe. The juices should be rich in colour, and for Mediterranean dishes, as thick as tomato purée. Always transfer left-over canned tomatoes to a non-metallic container. Store refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Canned diced tomatoes save you the bother of fishing out tomatoes and dicing them, although my favoured method has always been to tip the tomatoes into a bowl and to squelch them into a purée with clean hands (canned diced tomatoes save on washing up, I guess!).
There are many brands of tomatoes, and many come with added flavourings. I prefer starting with the basic product of just tomatoes, then flavouring them with fresh herbs, garlic, spices or seasoning. Garlic, herbs and freshly milled black pepper are more fragrant when added fresh. Canned tomatoes without flavouring are more pure, often containing only tomatoes – although some products will have salt and/or acidity regulator – and I can make dishes taste how I want them to, rather than how a manufacturer perceives I might like them. It also means I know what is in my food. (No additives.)
Bottled puréed tomato (polpapezzi) and partially cooked tomato sauce (Sugo Piu) are two imported Italian products which are useful for pasta sauce-making. Both contain around 700ml (about 24 fl oz) of tomato product, similar to two cans of tomatoes. Keep refrigerated after opening and use within three days.
Polpapezzi is raw crushed tomatoes which can be used as is or made into a tomato sauce for pasta as you would use canned tomatoes.
Sugo Piu is a rich thick purée of tomatoes, flavoured with onions and seasoned with salt. It doesn’t contain any oil, and to make it into a sauce to coat pasta, it needs to be added to 3-5 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan (this can be flavoured with garlic or chilli) and cooked through for 5 minutes. Add basil at the end. It can be used as it is on pizzas or in dishes where a rich purée is required.
Tomato concentrate Look for a rich red, thick purée. My favourite is the Mutti Doppio Concentrato. It will last many months in the refrigerator, but it may leak a little oil around the cap. Keep the cap clean and try and store the tube upright.
Semi-dried superior sun-dried tomatoes I’m not a fan of leathery, tough sun-dried tomatoes bottled in cheap oil. I’d banish them from the face of the earth if I could because they give the tomato a bad name (some of them taste metallic, and others even taste like fish!). The adage you get what you pay for applies. Check on the contents of the jar to find out what oil is used. If it is not listed, be very suspicious. Semi-dried tomatoes are softer and juicier, and sweeter. They won’t last as long as sun-dried tomatoes (4-5 days), but they’re a far superior ingredient.
Tomato pesto Look for a pesto with a good red colour, not a muddy tone which probably denotes inferior ingredients. Check the ingredients on the label and choose olive oil-based pestos over those made from other vegetable oils.
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