for another use.
Passata di pomodoro/Tomato Purée
PREP TIME: 5 MIN | COOK TIME: 30 MIN | YIELD: 6 SERVINGS
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds ripe San Marzano or other plum tomatoes
Handful of fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
DIRECTIONS
1 Wash and dry tomatoes, remove the stems, and cut them in half.
2 Fill a large stockpot three-fourths of the way with water, and place over high heat.
3 Bring to a boil, and carefully lower in tomatoes with a large spoon.
4 Boil, uncovered, until the skins start to break.
5 Drain and allow to cool enough to handle.
6 Put the tomatoes through a food mill in order to remove the skins.
7 If the tomato juice is very thin, return it to the stockpot and boil for 15-30 minutes until it has thickened slightly. Use immediately to make tomato sauce, or jar or freeze the purée for later use.
TIP: The water content in the tomatoes that you use makes a big difference in the thickness of your purée. While you could technically use any type of tomatoes that you prefer, I highly recommend firm, ripe, plum-style tomatoes that yield a better consistency for this purpose.
This recipe calls for a very small number of tomatoes, enough to be used in one recipe. You can use much larger quantities to make extra purée for jarring to use until the next year’s tomato season. You can also freeze batches to use later.
NOTE: In Italy, people usually make purée once a year at the end of tomato season and preserve the tomatoes to use in all of their recipes throughout the year, so that they do not have to purchase purée from the store. Many families get together and make an annual event out of the tomato preserving process.
Chapter 4
Cooking with an Eye on the Calendar
IN THIS CHAPTER
Glancing through a calendar, an Italian cook won’t just think about what they have to do, they’ll also think about what they get to cook, and of course, serve and eat!
In this chapter, you learn how and what to cook for the seasons, Sundays (or your day of rest), and special occasions, Italian-style with menus and suggestions using the recipes in this book exclusively. These menus are simple guides that demonstrate the progression of customary courses and the way ingredients are paired together and used seasonally. Feel free to alter them to suit your needs and tastes.
Seasonality in the Italian Kitchen
Given the international popularity of Italian food, the importance of seasonality often gets lost in translation. Pasta al pomodoro is available year-round, despite tomato season being in the summer, because of jarring methods (see Chapter 3) which have been used since antiquity. Thick, heavy sauces and rich lasagne that are normally reserved for wintertime Sundays and holidays in Italy can be found any day of the week abroad. To make matters worse, supermarkets offer many of the same types of produce all year round, so the average American doesn’t really know what is in season and when, with the exception of a few favorites such as springtime berries and summer corn. It’s no wonder, then, that Italian food lovers abroad get easily confused when planning seasonal menus.
The section below talks about what Italians typically prepare in various seasons. Keep in mind, however, that climates are different. While you never want to skimp on quality or freshness, any Italian cook will tell you it’s better to recreate a recipe with seasonal ingredients in your area than to purchase out-of-season items just to recreate a recipe. Fresh, in-season produce is the best for our bodies because it contains the nutrients we need at that time of year. In addition, eating seasonal produce is better for the environment, and less expensive, so it’s a good idea to incorporate it regardless of the cuisine you are creating.
Because the roots of Italian culinary history lie in antiquity, when agrarian gods were praised for bountiful crops, produce has made up the majority of the traditional diet. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains were supplemented with seafood and meat, which also varied from season to season. Over time, these culinary combinations became part of the Italian gastronomic imprint. For many people, recreating them is second nature. Most Italian cooks don’t stop to think about why lamb and artichokes are eaten in spring, or how mushrooms and game are eaten in fall; it has been that way for ages. As we learn to master Italian cuisine, however, it’s important to take these factors into consideration and to be aware of their existence. After we have done that, we can successfully adapt them to fit with our environs outside of Italy.
Sampling Everyday Menus for Every Season
To me, making menus is one of the most pleasurable experiences in life. In a well-planned menu, seasonality, nutrition, taste, texture, aroma, and terroir (flavors imparted by the local terrain) work together through a series of courses to create a perfectly balanced eating experience.
While it might sound intimidating to some, many of the principles of food pairing are so embedded in our memories that it seems as though certain foods just naturally go together. If you’ve never created a menu before, use the following guidelines until you are comfortable with the process. Notice how the elements of the Italian meals you enjoy the most work together, and apply those principles in your own kitchen.
Traditional, complete Italian meals consist of an appetizer, a first course, a second course with a side dish, salad, fruit and nuts or cheese, and/or a dessert and a cup of espresso followed by a digestivo, or after dinner liqueur (such as grappa, Amaro, Sambuca, or Limoncello) — served in that order.
In today’s hurried culture, even in Italy, the full traditional meal is often only served on Sundays (when most Italians still participate in the ritual family meal), when entertaining, in fine-dining situations, or on holidays.
Workday lunches may now consist of a primo (first course), salad, and espresso (often omitting the second course).
Workday
