Tomato Surprises

IN LITERATURE, a tomato surprise is a story with a trick ending based on hiding a crucial piece of evidence from the reader (say, that the murderer has two left thumbs). These really aren't surprises, and they're no trickery about them: A good tomato sauce is one of the foundations of Italian cuisine, finding its way into stews, sauces, and other dishes as an ingredient year round, and rising to the fore as the perfect condiment for pasta during the summer months. There are times that you will want to do something quicker, however, or have absolutely incredible tomatoes -- that's when Neapolitan-style tomato sauce will come in handy. Or, if you have some stale bread you want to use, you can't do much better than pappa al pomodoro.

In mid-July they begin to arrive: Cases of freshly picked sun-ripened plum tomatoes, and Italian houses fill with anticipation, because there's no dish quite so refreshing on a hot day as a bowl of pasta seasoned with lots of freshly made pomarola and a handful of grated cheese. This recipe expands well, and most households make gallons of it when the flood of tomatoes reaches its peak in August, forcing the prices down. It can also be adapted to canned plum tomatoes.

• 2-3 pounds (if they're watery, you will want more) plum tomatoes, cored and cut into pieces
• A clove of garlic
• A stick of celery about 6 inches long
• A small carrot
• A quarter of a medium onion
• A bunch of parsley
• A fresh or dried hot pepper, with the seeds discarded (optional)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A scant half teaspoon of sugar (optional)
• A bunch of basil

 

Pomarola can be made either with or without sautéing the other vegetables.

If you sauté them it will be richer, and if the tomatoes aren't vine ripened, you may want to. However, the sautéing does curb the tomatoey taste of the sauce, so if your tomatoes are of the really good vine ripened variety, you will want to forgo it. Also, pomarola made without sautéing is easier to digest.

If you do decide to sauté, begin by mincing the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, red pepper, and parsley. Sauté them in a quarter cup of olive oil; meanwhile, core and cut up the tomatoes. As soon as the onion has turned translucent, add the tomatoes and a teaspoon or so of salt to the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, till the tomatoes begin to fall apart.

If you decide not to sauté, place the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, pepper, cut up tomatoes, and parsley in a pot, add just a few drops of water, and simmer till the tomatoes begin to fall apart.

Regardless of the procedure you chose, once the tomatoes are cooked, you should crank the pomarola through a food mill, discarding the skins and seeds. Or, if you'd rather, puree the sauce in a food processor. If you do, you may want to add a half teaspoon of sugar to counter the tartness of the tomato skins (many Italians do). In either case, check the seasoning and return the sauce to the fire until it has thickened somewhat, and a drop put on a plate no longer gives off a huge watery halo (depending on how water the sauce was to begin with, this can take up to an hour).

When the sauce is done, stir in the basil leaves and turn off the heat. Transfer the sauce at once to clean jars, sealing each from the air by pouring a thin layer of olive oil over the sauce. Screw the lids onto the jars, and once they have cooled, refrigerate them. If you decide to expand the recipe, fill a couple of jars for immediate use, and put the rest in sterilized jars, following the instructions for canning in the Joy of Cooking. A final thing: If you get a hankering for pomarola before tomato season begins, you can use canned plum tomatoes. You'll probably want to sauté the herbs in this case.

Figure about a quarter cup of pomarola and a quarter pound of pasta per serving. After you've cooked and drained the pasta, stir in the pomarola and a dab of butter, then serve it with freshly grated Parmigiano (or pecorino romano if you cannot get fresh Parmigiano). For a variation, heat the pomarola over the stove, and, assuming that you're serving four people, stir in a half cup of fresh cream when it begins to bubble. When the sauce is heated through, use it to season your pasta, which is now Rosé.

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While the pomarola recipe above is quite tasty, will want something quicker -- that's when this classic Neapolitan sauce comes into play. It's perfect for pasta, but will also work well with rice or pizza. To make about 1 1/4 pounds of sauce (in other words, a jar), you will need:

• 2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 12 fresh basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Set a large pot full of water to boil. Meanwhile, wash the tomatoes and remove the brownish patches where the stems were attached using a sharp-pointed knife. Dump the tomatoes into the boiling water, blanch them for about a minute, and then run enough cold water into the pot so you can pick out the tomatoes without burning yourself. Peel the tomatoes, discarding their skins, seed them, slice them, and put them in a bowl. When you are done heat the oil and the garlic in another pot (traditionalists use one made of terracotta), and stir in the tomato filets before the oil garlic begins to crackle. Season with salt and pepper, simmer over a low flame for 10 minutes, stir in the basil leaves, simmer for five more minutes, and it's done.

Figure about 1/4 cup of sauce (or more to taste) and 1/4 pound of pasta per serving; serve the pasta with grated cheese on the side.

• To keep the sauce from becoming heavy, it's very important that the oil not not get too hot before the tomatoes are stirred in. Also, some Neapolitan cooks of the older generation made this sauce using lard rather than oil.

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Sounds like kid's food, and it is -- for kids of all ages. In the past it was also very much a homey dish, a tasty way to use up leftover bread that no housewife would have dreamed of serving to a guest. Now it's on the menus of Florence's trendier restaurants.

• 1 small onion, finely sliced
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 pound peeled, sliced sun ripened plum tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• Several slices of day old Italian or French bread, crumbled
• Broth or water as necessary
• Freshly chopped basil for garnishing

Sauté the onion and the garlic in the oil, and when they're lightly browned, add the tomatoes and the tomato paste. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes have fallen apart. Stir in the bread, and a little bit of water or broth if necessary; season to taste. Stir the mixture over a low flame until it thickens. Turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for fifteen minutes. Serve sprinkled with freshly chopped basil and good olive oil on the side. It's better made a day ahead and reheated.

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Serves four.

Good Food & Drink,
Kyle Phillips

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Text © Kyle Phillips.