Archive for July 17th, 2010
July 17th, 2010 | 
Author: Volcanic soils
San Marzano is a small town near Napoli (Naples), Italy. The plum tomatoes that come from this region are grown on the rich soils formed from the ash and lavas from Mount Vesuvius, and many chefs consider them to be the finest tomatoes to use in sauces. I am one of those chefs. All I can say is make your sauce with San Marzano plum tomatoes and then with regular tomatoes from Del Monte or Hunts (I think Hunts has great tomatoes and use them when I cannot get San Marzano). You will be astonished by the difference.
Plum tomatoes
There are many kinds of plum tomatoes, and they are grown all over the world including California. One variety, Roma tomatoes, is the most common variety sold in supermarkets and is grown not only in the US but Australia, Great Britain, and South America. The Roma tomato is fine, but for superb-rich sauces it cannot beat the San Marzano tomato in my opinion. Therefore, I cannot recommend San Marzano tomatoes highly enough. I might also add that they have fewer seeds, are sweeter, and less acidic than the Roma. In fact, the San Marzano tomatoes are officially designated as the only tomatoes acceptable for vera pizza Napolitano (true Napoli pizza), because of their high quality and the nearness to Naples. I am sure there is some politics involved here, but you cannot beat the taste. So it probably does not surprise you that I also use them on my pizza crust even though my family comes from northern Italy.
Choosing smart
Not all San Marzano tomatoes (pomodoros) come from the Napoli region. They are so popular and delicious, many companies use the name on their cans in the hopes that you will think they are grown near Napoli. I even know of one company that brands their plum tomatoes “San Marzano” even though they come from California. By the way, San Marzano is a type of tomato (its’ name comes from the town near Napoli) like roma so the branding is legal. I have tried many brands grown outside of Napoli, and they are quite good. But I still think the San Marzanos grown on those volcanic soils around Napoli cannot be beaten.
Italian law
So how do you know you are buying true plum tomatoes from the San Marzano region? Only canned San Marzano tomatoes grown in the San Marzano region (and in compliance with other sections of Italian law) can be designated as D.O.P. (protected designation of origin) and have a stamp on their label. Please see the label below (I show the Poma Rosa brand, but there are many brands that have this status). It states “San Marzano D.O.P.” and has a stamp or emblem from the Italian government designating the product as legitimate San Marzano plum tomatoes.
San Marzano D.O.P. and government stamp.
The real thing.
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About the Author:
Jack Botticelli
You can read about the San Marzano plum tomatoes
You can read more Italian recipes here
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A few facts
Spaghetti and meatballs became popular in the 1800s in southern Italy (Sicily and Puglia). It seems like it was a main staple in the Godfather movies if memory serves, and that’s my point. It has really become more of an Italian-American dish. Italians tend to eat pasta for the primo course and meat in the secondo course and usually do not mix the two. But of course you can find spaghetti and meatballs in restaurants all over Italy especially in those that cater to tourists. As an aside, it is common for Italians to eat their spaghetti without tomato sauce. In fact, fresh spaghetti pasta with almost anything is splendid – no, magnifico!
Fresh spaghetti pasta – umm umm good
I know spaghetti and meatballs sounds mundane, but when you make it with fresh pasta it’s “lights out” superb. If you are making sauce every few weeks like I suggested in an earlier article, then all you need to do is concentrate on the pasta and meatballs. You will need a special apparatus that attaches to your pasta maker (see the photo below) that cuts the pasta sheets into spaghetti.
Pasta maker with attachment for spaghetti.
Ingredients (6 servings):
4 cups – Italian tomato sauce
1 – pasta dough without the spinach
1 – serving of Italian meatballs
6 ounces – fresh Parmesan cheese (avoid Kraft or other pregrated varieties)
Preparation:
Once you have the pasta dough in sheets as shown in the pasta dough recipe (I use a thickness setting on my pasta maker of 4 out of 6 – but of course it may vary from maker to maker. I hope this gives you some sense of how thick the sheets should be – see photo below), lay it out on the table. You can cut dough into individual sheets each about 8 inches long.
The pasta sheet in this picture is about 5 x 8″.
At this point it is extremely critical to let the dough dry some. Do not run it through the spaghetti maker immediately or you will have blobs of dough. Let it lay for about 15 minutes and than turn and wait another 15 minutes. The time will vary (possibly by more than a half hour), because doughs will have different moisture and room temperature can vary. I would suggest a total of 45 minutes at most before you use the dough in the maker. The key is to use it before the edges become hard (the maker will not cut the hard edges). Once the pasta has dried for the approximate times given above, you are ready to put it through the spaghetti maker. The pictures below are better than any words I can add. Cook the pasta for two to six minutes in boiling salted water (with a dash of olive oil added). The pasta will float when it is ready. But you may wish to remove sooner depending on whether you like al dente or not. Add the sauce, meatballs, and parmesan and you are ready to go.
Enjoy!
Starting the spaghetti
Getting toward the end.
Voila.
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About the Author:
Jack Botticelli
You can read about the Spaghetti, sauce, and meatballs using fresh pasta
You can read more Italian recipes here
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There are people who take pride and truly enjoy setting a table with the finest utensils to serve their finest foods. It is not done seldomly and for special occasions. They do it often, and most likely, every day. This article is dedicated to them.
One way to display a tastefully set table is with French cutlery. Traditionally, Europeans have excelled forging steel blades since the days of Robin Hood. Their knowledge and experience with blades for the battlefield was passed on to utensils they use on their every day table. French could not be an exception to centuries-old European traditions.
There are several French artisans working in manufacturing establishments that forge a magnificent cutlery. This article elaborates on only two of them which ~again~ they are not the only ones in France. One is dedicated to complete sets of knives, forks, spoons, and other utensils used when a meal is served. Another French artisans are dedicated to top-notch knives of exquisite quality for preparing food before it is served.
The first manufacturer is Laguiole and the other is Sabatier.
Are their sets and individual pieces costly? Yes, they are. However, their sets and pieces will last a lifetime, and most likely, they will be passed from one generation to the next. Yes, they last that long. Consequently, the author of this article considers that the cost is a “once in a lifetime investment.” After such one time investment, there is nothing else to purchase for great many decades to come and well into the next generation, and the one after that one.
Meanwhile, an entire family, or a couple, or a single person, or the Chef of the family will be enjoying the best that French artisans, their traditions, their steel, their woods, and their attention to details have to offer. Moreover, Laguiole makes exquisite sets that will likely gain value as time goes by as they dress up a table every day. The details, the balance, the weight, the woods used, and handling each piece spells quality all over. One can tell how they send such message when people hold a piece in their hand and keep on looking for quite a while. It maybe that people is not used at holding unique silverware in their hands every day. Likely, a conversation arises out of these pieces that make a table look exquisite.
The other brand name is Sabatier. They make knives for chefs and gourmets all over the world. A reputable school in the U.S.A. chose to exclusively use their knives. It appears that those who are well known and recognized experts passing their knowledge and expertise on to new generations of cooks and gourmets must know why they will not use anything other than Sabatier kitchen knives.
There is something else worth mentioning.
If one intends to go out with the family or to have a picnic in the park with a sweet-heart, the French make knives for this kind of activities. As expected, their knives last a lifetime when cared for. Their name is Opinel, and they are so well thought-out that in 1985 the original Opinel knife was recognized ~along with Porsche 911 and Rolex~ as one of “100 Best Designed Objects In The World” at the Victoria And Albert Museum in London, Great Britain.
One cannot go wrong with the French. Enjoy, and Bon Appetite !
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About the Author:
* George Josserme* Editor-in-Chief* Fountain of WisdomA complete collection of Laguiole cutlery may be seen at Laguiole in France.The school using Sabatier chief and knives is Bon Vivant School of Cooking.This is the web site for Opinel in the U.S.A.
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