Fresh, Peeled, Diced, Pureed...
The love that Italians have for tomatoes is only overshadowed by the countless ways that they are prepared.
Most every native Italian has a childhood memory related to the unique aroma of a tomato sauce cooking on a stove. Walking up their stairs, coming home from school, a kid can almost always guess exactly which tomato sauce their mother is preparing. An interested child - those who almost certainly will later love cooking as well - will know whether the sugo or sughetto (tomato sauce) contains onions, garlic or even celery or basil. The nostrils of a hungry kid are phenomenal, and that smell is a hint of the luscious red feast that will surely follow. The love for tomatoes is nearly genetic in Italy, especially in the central, southern regions - but, now in the north as well. Veneto, today, is one the biggest producers of pomodori da sugo. The tomato is beloved to Italians in all its forms, varieties and preparations: on the vine, fresh, raw, canned, peeled, diced, crushed, puréed, concentrated, or sun-dried.
Some Italian cooks have a very precise idea about what kind of tomato to use for every recipe; others are happy to make do with whatever they happen to have at home. It makes sense, of course, to use fresh tomatoes, like San Marzano, Pachino (cherry and grape) or mini perini (egg-shaped) when available in summer and late summer. In the hot summer months, fresh and briefly cooked sauces are naturally craved. Fresh tomatoes are well suited for all seafood pasta dishes, but also for the classic pomodoro e basilico - prepared with a good extra virgin olive oil; garlic; a bit of hot pepper; quartered or chopped fresh tomatoes (preferably without their seeds and water, but not necessarily), and cooked only two or three minutes. With some parmigiano or pecorino, it's amazing. Any cut of pasta will go well with it.
Good quality, Italian-imported peeled tomatoes are great all year-round and for most of recipes. The skin is eliminated through a quick steaming process and then juice is added - and of course, they are a natural product with no additives. Diced tomatoes are great for their convenience and chunkier texture. Crushed can be used as an alternative to tomato paste (concentrato) in some long-cooking sauces, such as a ragù (meat sauce) and in some meat preparations. Today's markets offer a great variety of good-quality tomatoes year-round: fresh and canned. The king of Mediterranean cuisine is now welcome in kitchens the world over - no matter what shape he's in.
