MAKING PASSATA OR BUYING BOTTLES

 I have been seeing posts of Italian-Canadians making "tomatoes" or as it is really called passata.

Adolph and I decided after his mother passed away that it was her thing. He was the cook so decided what passata to use. Besides Mamma would often complain about the tomatoes. One year too much acid. Another year too watery.

We would always freeze some roma tomatoes, buy tins of tomatoes and fresh ones to use in sauce and soups.

But doing the tomatoes became passe for us.

So this year I search the flyers for discounted passata. 

And I found some at Food Basics as in other years.

So carrying cases from my car to the house was so much work.

#passata#makingthetomatoesisover#usingavarietyoftomatoesforfood#granpalovestocook#adolphdimambro#bottledpassataisbest#

GRANPA SAYS IT'S TIME FOR TOMATOES

We stopped making passata years ago. So now we watch for the fall sales of it.
Food Basics had Aurora passata for 88cents a jar. 7 cases later of 12 each we are good for another year.
I bought a case of Roma tomaotes. Washed and bagged 7 bags of 20 each. Good for sauce and stews and soups.
One round of canned whole tomatoes- 12 at 99cents. Will look for more sales.
Using tomatoes in a variety of ways in cooking is always on our menu plan.

I used to make more pickles and jams but not anymore. No one really eats it.
#passata#tomatoes#cannedwholetomatoes#romatomatoes#freezertomatoes#granpalovetocook#adolphdimambro#makingiteasytoperservefruitandvegetables

PASSATA GRANPA STYLE

Yes I know it is an Italian-Canadian tradition to make the passata for the sauce. Do you know the folks in Italy have stopped this personal tradition and buy from the farmers? My cousins would shake their heads at the work people did here. So Barb and I have watched for sales in the Fall for the Passata the last few years.

So when Food Basics had their sale- 88 cents a jar, Barb bought us 5 cases. We still had one case from last year so with 72 jars we are well stocked. For our sauce we usually add a tin of crushed tomatoes or  whole tomatoes to one jar of passata.
Yes it was a wonderful time when my mother was alive and we would help her do her bottles. However it was not always consistent. One year- runny passata. Another year the tomatoes had too much acid. So with my favourite Aurora brand my passata will be just right. Barb says it is so much work carrying those cases from the car!!
#passata#granpalovestocook#makingpassataathome#buyingpassatafromthestore#passataforsauce#anoldItaliantrandition

WHAT ITALIAN WOULD BE WITHOUT HIS TOMATO/POMODORO?

Every Italian cookbook accompanied by a cook uses the tomato/pomodoro in a variety of ways. The Italian garden must have tomato plants or it is not a real garden!

Even have a few photos from previous years.

Do you know the history? Barb reminded me and did some internet research of how the tomato originated in Central and South America-Mesoamerica. She likes history. It was even cultivated in Mexico in 500 BC. Two versions- Christopher Columbus working for Spain- an Italian from Genoa- brought the tomato back in 1493 or the second version when the Spaniards-Cortes, 1521 conquered the Aztecs brought the plants back to Spain. Piertro Mattioli, in 1544- an Italian physician and botanist wrote about the tomato being a new kind of eggplant. In 1548 in Italy- Cosimo de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany-  wanted a piece of the action and had a basket of tomatoes sent to him. He even named them pomi d'oro- golden apples!

As we all know there are several kinds of tomatoes. Beefsteak make great hardy field tomatoes and grow in any vegetable garden in Canada.
For the pomodoro di passata, the roma tomatoes are the ones that are commonly used. My mother used to make bottles of passata every fall for use in the red sauce. I buy the ready made passata that comes from Italy now- always trying a new brand to see if it makes a difference in my cooking. Less work and the same taste. Like many modern cooks, freezing fresh tomatoes that can be used over the winter is another method of using them.There is another variety the San Marzano tomato which is Napolitana. Plum tomatoes from the can make a good addition to many recipes.

The cherry or grape variety are fun in appetizers. Or a welcome addition to any salad.

Boccincine and some tomatoes on a stick made a nice dish at one of my daughter's parties. Or go to the St. Lawrence Market to buy them ready made!
Any red sauce has tomatoes as the base. But fresh tomatoes simmered with some basil and salt and pepper to taste make a quick sauce on spaghetti.

Or fresh or frozen added to a vegetable soup!

Some more history- in 1897 Campbell in the United States marketed Campbell's tomato soup which is still enjoyed today. Comes in a can! Barb likes to eat it occasionally with toast for a quick lunch! Although it is a North American commodity, Canadians love Ketchup-made from tomatoes- on several foods.

A fun use for tomatoes is Bruschetta.


INGREDIENTS

2-3 fresh tomatoes.
Garlic buds.
Oregano.
Salt. Pepper
Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS

Chop up the tomato into little pieces.

Dice the garlic and add to the tomato mixture.

Add a teaspoon or two ( 20 ml) of oregano to the mixture. Or a pinch or two!

1-2 tablespoons ( 100 ml) of olive oil to the mixture.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Let sit by putting it in the refrigerator for an hour or so before serving.

Put on toasted bread or your favourite cracker or bun.

A fast bruschetta is just sliced tomatoes adding the same ingredients and putting on a slice of bread. It has the same taste.

Tomatoes in a tossed salad or a simple cucumber/tomato salad are best eaten fresh. I will miss the summer and fall garden with those homegrown ones. Back to greenhouse or the hothouse variety again through the winter.

I have even been adventuresome with growing tomatoes.

I tried growing some hanging tomatoes in 2012 but the plant wanted to grow up! I'll continue the traditional way next year. My final word on tomatoes- although there can be yellow ones- I prefer the red ones. According to the lastest trends in nutritional advice, eating lots of tomatoes or tomato based foods is very healthy! Fresh, frozen, bottled as passata or in a paste, it sure is a staple in Italian cooking. Regardless of its history coming from Mesoamerica, I think the Italians perfected its use!