Without taking anything away from berries, avocados, seeds & c, the tomato it's a true one superfood, which is good for skin, heart, eyes. An American immigrant in reverse: arrived from overseas, never as in the Bel Paese did his fortune and is still king among the vegetables and in our local cuisine. Today we find it all year round, but for the fresh one it is good to wait for the right season, the summer of course, when plants can enjoy a real sun and release all their taste and nutritional properties.
In the other seasons we are still happy, because we have available the past, an all-Italian ancient ritual, the pulp and the concentrate. Three wonderful ways to keep the tomato all year long. But attention: one is not worth the other !!! Or rather, true connoisseurs are able to grasp the nuances that exist between the different products derived from tomatoes and, therefore, can decide which choose between these to make a recipe normal, everyday, or a gourmet dish.
The guidelines below have been drawn by Mutti in collaboration with i Jeunes Restaurateurs d'Europe Italians (even before JRE Italia was born). The ten talented young chefs have studied, tasted and cooked different products, coming up with a sort of decalogue for optimal use.
Here the advice and direct opinions of some sommelier chef.
Pulp, past and concentrated: differences and use in the kitchen
Pulp
It is the least processed product: the tomato is peeled and cold-rolled, the other key steps consist in hot packaging and pasteurization.
Taste and use
It is a semi-sweet food, to be used as a base for other preparations and it is also the fast condiment par excellence. The ideal is to use it raw or undercooked for quick bruschetta or to prepare sauces or stew.
Excellent also for braised meat, stews, fish soups or cod. It has a fresh and slightly acidic taste that is well taken to dilute the fat component of other foods, such as meat or fish for example.
The sommelier advises
Marcello Trentini recommends it in seafood dishes, because it harmonizes the taste of the tomato with the delicacy and intensity of the fish.
passed
The tomatoes are shredded, heated to very high temperatures for a short time, sieved, slightly concentrated and finally packed.
Taste and use
It has sweet notes, creamy density and intense but light taste. It gives the best of itself in the preparations where you want to taste the taste of the tomato. It is therefore ideal in the great Italian first courses such as pasta all'amatriciana, angry and puttanesca. It also makes good cold velvety, to be served with croutons and a drizzle of oil.
The sommelier advises
As Eros Picco suggests, the most expert can use it to prepare sophisticated jellies and coulis. For example, he makes crispy tomato leaves with which he enriches his appetizers.
Concentrate
The first part of the processing is the same as the one for the pass, but subsequently and based on the level of concentration to be obtained, we continue with sophisticated evaporation processes, which eliminate the aqueous parts.
Taste and use
It has a marked and unmistakable color, very high density and a lively and intense flavor. According to the chefs interviewed in the Mutti project, it is a strategic product. In fact, its characteristics make it the preferred product to give sauces and sauces, in addition to the unique flavorful notes, even a more vivid color. With the concentrate combined with the pulp sauces, meat sauce, stews and stews take on an extraordinary gustatory value. It can also be used to accompany boiled meat and sauces for crustaceans.
The sommelier advises
Marianna Vitale grates on finished dishes, using a special technique that exploits the vacuum, turning the concentrate into a solid block.
Barbara Roncarolo
September 25, 2014
updated February 2019
from Aurora Quinto
DISCOVER SALE & PEPE COOKING COURSES
This recipe has already been read 275 times!