D.O.P. San Marzano Tomatoes

[gracoman]

Everybody probably knows the tomato of choice when making Italian tomato sauces is the San Marzano. What may be unclear to some is we are not talking about San Marzano style tomatoes here nor are we talking about Italian grown San Marzano tomatoes produced outside of the Agro Nocerino Sarnese, a geographical region of the Province of Salerno, in Campania in southern Italy. The Agro Nocerino Sarnese is where the San Marzano tomatoes (Pomodoro San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-Nocerino) have DOP status. D.O.P. means the tomatoes grown here have a certified point of origin attached to them. Only tomatoes grown within this area have such certification.

Buyer beware as certified San Marzano tomatoes are not the same as D.O.P certified San Marzano tomatoes any more than San Marzano style tomatoes are.

Not all D.O.P. certified San Marzano tomatoes are the same either. I've been using DELALLO D.O.P. San Marzano tomatoes because they are available locally. Expect to pay between $5 and $6.00 per 28oz can for these little marvels.




I've been very happy with these excellent tomatoes until recently when I decided to try ordering from a different company. I tried La Valle Pomodoro San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-Nocerino D.O.P.





My oh my on my. Night and freaking day. These are without question the finest tomatoes I have ever tasted. Don't be adding much in the way of herbs and spiced to these jewels. Let the tomatoes themselves shine through. And shine they will.

Don't be cooking these tomatoes when using for pizza. Let the tomatoes cook on the pizza.  You should be doing this anyway but I thought I'd mention it for fun.

Want to up your pasta sauce game? Want to make your pizza's sing? My original order was for 9 cans. I ordered 18 more the very next day. Get em on Amazon. They will run about $5.80/can when buying 9. Worth every penny.

Out with the old and in with the new!

[BBQ Butcher]

Don't be cooking these tomatoes when using for pizza. Let the tomatoes cook on the pizza.

Do you crush them with your hands or cut in half for the pizza?

[gracoman]

That depends on how crazy you want to get about this pizza thing. Different pizza styles call for different sauce types. I haven't done pizza with these tomatoes yet but I will probably hand crush them when the time comes.

The La Valle tomatoes are packed in puree instead of juice so a quick process with an immersion blender directly in an opened can will create a smooth sauce. A few blender pulses will create a "chunkier" sauce. Draining the tomatoes and hand crushing makes for an even chunkier sauce.

I've made a couple of quick stove top sauces in a skillet with sliced garlic, blender pulsed tomatoes, a pinch of basil, a pinch of oregano and that's it. The tomatoes absolutely shine with a quick cook that begins when I set the pasta water to boil. The entire meal takes minutes.