The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Too many tomatoes? Try your hand at passata
A lifetime ago, my husband and I took our children to Tuscany. It was a magical trip, save for the evening when I used my rudimentary Italian to order beef. A large bowl of beef intestines was presented to our squeamish 12-year-old son. He became a vegetarian for the remainder of the trip and an aficionado of pasta al pomodoro. Good pomodoro sauce is light and fresh, yet intensely tomato-y. That deep tomato flavor? That’s the passata.
Passata is the uncooked tomato sauce at the heart of many Italian tomato-based dishes. It’s thinner than tomato paste, smoother than crushed tomatoes, and contains no skins, seeds, spices or aromatics.
Start with the ripest tomatoes you can find. They are the only ingredient, so they should be outstanding. In a perfect world, you should use sunripened San Marzano tomatoes, but brown-bagged Roma tomatoes work just fine. While passata is technically raw, quickly blanch the tomatoes to remove the skins.
The easiest way to transform tomatoes into passata is to run them through a food mill. I do not own a food mill. Instead, I press my tomatoes with a potato ricer, grate the remaining pulp with a box grater, and then push the juices and any lumpy bits through a fine-mesh strainer. In the end, only the seeds should remain in the strainer. Be sure to scrape the gooey goodness from the bottom of the strainer into your bowl of passata — that’s the gel from around the seeds and it’s rich with umami. Yes, passata is labor intensive. But if you have a lot of ripe tomatoes and a lot of time on your hands, the process is nearly meditative. Like kneading dough. Or drinking Chianti during a long family vacation.
I enjoy the acidic tartness of passata drizzled over cold cheese tortellini. It’s also delicious as the base for gazpacho, and the star of a bloody mary. If you prefer a more mellow flavor, simmer the passata a mere 10 minutes with a little onion, garlic and basil. Keep cooking to reduce the passata into a thicker sauce that partners with pizza crust and supports ground beef in a Bolognese. You can also substitute passata for canned tomatoes in soup and stew recipes. When it comes to versatile Italian cooking, it’s never a mistake to reach for the passata.
Rinse the tomatoes. Use a paring knife to cut away the cores and any bruised bits, leaving the remainder of the tomatoes whole.
Place a bowl of ice water in the sink. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Working in batches, use a slotted spoon to carefully add the tomatoes to the boiling water. Boil until the skin starts to lift, about 1-2 minutes.
Use the slotted spoon to transfer the tomatoes to the ice bath and repeat until all tomatoes are blanched. When the tomatoes have cooled, gently pat the tomatoes dry with paper towels, and use your fingers to remove the skins.
Place a clean bowl underneath a food mill. Run the tomatoes through the mill two or three times, until nearly all of the tomato flesh has been reduced to liquid. If any seeds pass it through, strain them using a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Discard the skins, seeds and any tough pulp. (If you do not have a food mill, press the tomatoes in a potato ricer or grate them with a box grater. Then use the back of a wooden spoon to press the tomato pulp and juice through a strainer.)
Store the passata in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week, in the freezer for up to 3 months, or canned for up to 1 year.
Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
Per 1/2 cup: