Tomato puree, a myth of Italian cuisine

There are those who love it chunky, rustic and true, while others adore it velvety, soft and delicate. The tomato puree is the most common and probably the most known condiment of Italian cuisine in the world, and yet few may know that the pairing with pasta was born only two centuries ago. In fact, the tomato is not a European vegetable, and until the discovery of America in 1492, no one suspected its existence. Tomatoes arrived in the old continent only in the 1500s and became popular much later.

Tomato purée: the birth of an excellence.

The first appearance of tomato purée in a published cookbook in Italy occurred in Naples at the end of the 1600s. The tomato was not yet used to season pasta but was cooked alone or as tomato purée to dress meat dishes. From then on, and for the entire 1700s, the tomato became an increasingly consumed food in Italy. But when did pasta finally arrive with tomato purée? At least until the early 1800s, "maccheroni" were almost exclusively seasoned with grated cheese. However, it is at the beginning of the century that the tomato begins to be paired with pasta. The first written recipe is from 1839 and is by Ippolito Cavalcanti in his book "Cucina casareccia in dialetto napoletano." Within a few decades, tomato purée also made its way onto pizza, another common dish in the Neapolitan capital. Thus, throughout the 1800s, tomato purée spread throughout the rest of Italy until it became one of the undisputed symbols of Italian cuisine.

Tomato purée, the traditional recipe

It is said that preparing a dish of pasta with tomato is one of the most difficult things in cooking. Not so much for the preparation itself, but rather for the difficulty in creating a balanced taste, with an unforgettable flavor that turns out perfect. Everyone, from a Michelin-starred chef to a cook in a trattoria, to a housewife has a recipe closely guarded to make their own tomato purée.
Preparing tomato sauce is a longer process than difficult. It’s just a matter of following some rules. Which tomatoes to choose? The ideal ones are San Marzano tomatoes, pulpy and firm. We also recommend those from the Piennolo del Vesuvio and Ciliegino.
Once you have selected the quality, begin by washing the tomatoes and then drying them, removing the stem and cutting them in half. At this point, place your tomatoes in a large, tall pot and let them cook over low heat for about twenty minutes or until they have completely softened. Now take a food mill and pass the tomatoes to remove the skins. Put the resulting mixture in a bowl, add salt, mix, and divide the tomato purée into well-sterilized glass jars. In each container, insert 2-3 washed and dried basil leaves to add flavor to the purée. This is just one example of how to make tomato purée, but it is not uncommon to see every kind of addition: fromoil, tooregano torosemary, not to mention pepper or even strictly organic lemon zest.

Tomato purée, easy pairings for all tastes

Now that we know how to make a delicious tomato purée, let’s also discover what to pair it with when creating a first course. First of all, it is important to choose the right kind of pasta, and in this case, we are really lucky. With a simple and tasty tomato purée you can easily use both long and short pasta. We at Spaghetti e Mandolino recommend Felcetti's single-grain spaghetti or if you have a gluten intolerance, the selection of spaghetti, penne, or fusilli from Stoppato 1877. Once this step is complete, it’s time to get creative. Tuna, pancetta, eggplant, anchovies, olives, onion, sausage, mushrooms— as you can see, there is only the embarrassment of choice. And if it’s not pasta that you crave, then you can try other recipes like beans alla uccelletto, eggplant parmesan, or scallops pizzaiola.

S&M recommends the Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP tomato purée

Thanks to the company Sapori Vesuviani, we can get this specialty delivered directly to your home. The Piennolo gets its name because the clusters of cherry tomatoes are hung on "piennoli" (pendulums) and left to dry naturally with the fresh and salty breezes of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The sun, wind, sea, and scorched earth are the secrets of this extraordinary fruit rich in sugars and minerals, sweet and sour, with a dense and full pulp, with few seeds and two lenticular bundles that divide it in half. It is the king of tomatoes and ideal for the best pasta dishes with tomato. In this tomato purée, you will find only Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP, fresh basil, and sea salt.
Discover the tradition of true handmade tomato purée: a unique and unmistakable flavor that will envelop all your senses!

Francesco Scuderi