At the end of summer, when tomatoes are at their ripest and most flavoursome, growers all over Italy harvest and cook them into passata to keep their sweet summery taste preserved for the coming year. It’s a tradition that makes economic and gastronomic sense – after all, passata di pomodoro is a relatively cheap ingredient and provides a deliciously concentrated flavour base to use in a huge variety of pasta sauces, casseroles and stews long after the fresh salad tomatoes have gone out of season. Quality relies on the freshness and standard of the tomatoes themselves, and while that’s not always easy to determine, make sure that the label says ‘Product of Italy’ before you even think of buying!
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