GUSTI Blog

Pappa al Pomodoro, with Gustiamo's Tomatoes

From our good friend, Steve Maslow, just back from Italy where he had a food revelation: Pappa al Pomodoro. Steve thinks the best Pappa al Pomodoro is the one he will make with Gustiamo Tomatoes and EV Olive Oil in his home in Brooklyn. This is Steve's lovely ode to Pappa al Pomodoro:

"Between Florence and Siena lies the Chiantigiana, where grape and olive cultivation by the Etruscan peoples predates the Roman Empire. For fear of rekindling bygone rivalries, we will forgive the citizens of Siena their Ghibelline silliness in aligning themselves with the Holy Roman Emperor, and we will forget the Florentine fit of fecklessness that carved a Guelph between Dante and his beloved city. Yes, the rivalry between Siena and Florence has simmered down, and the result is the culinary glory of the region between them: Pappa al Pomodoro alla Chiantigiana. To my mind this soup is the quintessential Tuscan dish, as Waverly Root once said, “hearty and healthy, subtle in its deliberate eschewing of sophistication, which is perhaps the highest sophistication of all.” 

Many Tuscan dishes are virtues made of scarcity, for instance the lack of salt in Tuscan whole wheat bread began when the supply was cut due to the region’s mercurial relationship with Pisa, which controlled the European salt trade for centuries (to grasp its importance in Medieval times one only has to notice that our word ‘salary’ derives from the Latin word for salt.)

With the sudden appearance of the first hints of summer come the cravings for tomato flavors, indeed Pappa al Pomodoro is like a postcard from summer. But when the weather warms, well, who can wait for tomato season? Fortunately Gustiamo sells four kinds of imported tomatoes whose flavor and bouquet are the closest thing we have to astro-projecting yourself to Italy and picking them yourself. My favorite are the Piennolo vine tomatoes, but my Better Half prefers the Dani Coop tomatoes from Agro Nocerino. Try it with any of the imported tomatoes and tell us which is your favorite." Steve Maslow

Grazie Steve! Here is the recipe of Pappa al Pomodoro.

DaniCoop - On NASFT Newsletter

As seen on Nasft - Specialty Foods' NEWS:

Gustiamo, Inc. is newly importing DOP San Marzano tomatoes from Agro Nocerino Sarnese by DANIcoop. These are varieties grown from a cooperative of 200 farmers with the mission to preserve the quality and authenticity of the San Marzano tomato.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

GUSTIAMO LAUNCHES NEWEST TOMATO IMPORT TO AMERICA: DOP SAN MARZANO TOMATOES FROM AGRO NOCERINO SARNESE BY DANICOOP – THE REAL THING

Gustiamo, Inc. - Italy’s Best Foods - importer and distributor of authentic Italian foods in America introduces the latest addition to its ever growing tomato family: DOP San Marzano tomatoes from Agro Nocerino Sarnese by DANIcoop.

The tomatoes are grown in the DOP certified area for San Marzano in Italy, the agro Nocerino-Sarnese, in the Sarno Valley, near Naples, in the minerally rich soil of Mount Vesuvius and the Sarno River. The ecotype San Marzano is known as the "red gold" of this area of Italy.

While “San Marzano style” tomatoes are readily available in America, the production of authentic San Marzano tomatoes is extremely limited and only a small percentage of it makes it outside Italy. Gustiamo sources DOP San Marzano tomatoes directly from the San Marzano Consortium on the Agro Nocerino Sarnese, a cooperative of 200 passionate and knowledgeable farmers with the mission to preserve the quality and authenticity of the world famous San Marzano tomato.

Listed in the Slow Food Presidia, DANIcoop tomatoes’ intrinsic San Marzano characteristics - distinctive sweet taste, very low acidity, rich flesh and bright red color - are enhanced by the cooperative century old cultivation methods such as manual spring water irrigation and hand-picking at harvest from carefully tended tomato plants.

Speedy Speedy True Romeo

This is how the place looked a month ago, when we went to visit Justin Bazdarich   and Todd Feldman in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. A great location, a place with lots of potential, but other than a wonderful oven (from Italy, assembled in California), there was not much to see! 

A month later, Speedy Romeo is ready to open tomorrow! Incredible!!!

Justin and Todd not only have a ton of energy and move fast, they also want to do the real thing! They carefully and respectfully did their homework: they cruised Italy with Judy Witts Francini (ciao Judy!) in search of real recipes and inspiration from legendary pizzaioli in Roma and Napoli; they tasted all the products very carefully; they toured the purveyors of best foods and learned all about the products (click the arrow below to see the video of their visit to Gustiamo. Watch, they are also making a film of the whole opening process - how cool is that?).

You MUST go to Speedy Romeo! I can't wait! I'm sure the pizza is fabulous! Why? Because they have everything it takes: passion, technique and Italy's best ingredients! Order Pizza with San Marzano Tomatoes; it might be a little more expensive, but trust us, it's going to be worth it! Justin and Todd use the real San Marzano tomatoes. We can attest to that! Good luck to Justin and Todd and long life to Speedy Romeo!!!

Pomodorini - Another Miracle!

From Sabatino Abagnale, expert and passionate producer of our Miracle di San Gennaro Tomatoes comes our latest tomato find: Pomodorini di Gragnano. Grown in small numbers on the Mount Lattari Park, in the Vesuvius area, the Gragnano ecotype is a small light bulb shaped tomato, sort of a mini San Marzano. The scant water, abundant sun and arid temperatures of this area of the South of Italy lend this prized tomato very low acidity, exceptional sweetness and a rich pulp. Flash cook Pomodorini di Gragnano - 3 minutes will do - to release their fruity, mineral taste

A Miracle - San Marzano Tomatoes Beyond DOP

Il Miracolo di San Gennaro is a tomato grown by Sabatino Abagnale in Agro Sarnese-Nocerino (the proper DOP Area). It is DNA tested 100% San Marzano, and a wonderful product.

Sabatino's production of Il Miracolo is very limited, a few thousand tins and jars per year! These Miracolo have reached a cult status and despite its price (very expensive... don't even start!), they go very fast. Our yearly allotment which we receive in November is typically sold out by early in the new year. Sabatino, can you send us more?

That being said, while Sabatino is a passionate and honest grower of tomatoes, his tomatoes do not perfectly follow the DOP rules and he cannot call them San Marzano. AND he DOES NOT call them San Marzano. As you see on the left, they are called just "Pomodori". Why? In a second. First, let me reinforce the concept that a name is important and although his tomatoes are San Marzano, he cannot and does not make any reference to San Marzano in the label. Does this send a signal to the industrial producer  of tomatoes that are labeled San Marzano but are FAKE?

Why Sabatino's tomatoes are not San Marzano? Because Italians have big egos and can't agree on anything! Sabatino cannot label his tomatoes San Marzano because he does not fully follow the rules dictated by the Consorzio San Marzano. Although Sabatino and the President of Consortium San Marzano only have praises for each other (true, I talk to them regularly), they can't seem to agree on several things: the type of seeds used (Cirio 3 for DOP, Smec 20 for Sabatino); Sabatino's tomatoes are not peeled (DOP must be peeled)... and who knows how many other little differences. This is one more demonstration that Italians can't work together; even good people (and we are talking about the BEST people in this industry) can't reach an agreement.

Confusing? You bet! The point is Sabatino makes his non San Marzano/beyond San Marzano tomatoes his way and doesn't try to take advantage of the San Marzano name. And they are so few, it's not even an issue. Trust us, they are a Miracle! Buy 'em before we run out!

Buy Real San Marzano Tomatoes... from a Merchant You Trust

The president of the Cosorzio San Marzano says that at least 95% of the San Marzano tomatoes in America are not San Marzano.

How do you make sure they are?

First thing you do, you check the tin's label: it MUST say "Pomodoro San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese Nocerino D.O.P.";

it MUST have the symbol of the Consorzio; it MUST have the symbol of the DOP; 

 

it MUST have a "N° XXXXXXX", which is the Number assigned to the tin by the Consorzio.

But even if all of these apply, the President of the Consorzio says they have seen cases where labels were printed NOT in Italy, completely fake. Of course! Who is here in the USA to watch??? Very complicated!!! So, what do you do?

As always, best thing is to shop from a merchant you trust!!! And look at the price. If it is too good to be true, it is not true!!!

Also, beware that the Consorzio says that San Marzano tomatoes can only come in tins; the tomatoes can only be peeled whole or fillets. Therefore, Edoardo says that if you see the words "puree", "sauce", "chopped", "diced", "organic" (also, not regulated by the Consorzio) on the labels, they cannot be San Marzano. Very complicated. Have questions? Send a picture of the label of your San Marzano and we'll ask the President of the Consorzio what he thinks.

San Marzano Tomatoes??? San Marzano or Giuseppino???

The tomato San Marzano is protected by DOP, a law valid in Europe, which means that if you call a tomato "San Marzano" that tomato has to come from a specific area near Naples, from specific tomato seeds and has to be processed in a specific way. If you don't follow these rules and you call San Marzano your tomato, you are operating outside the law.

Edoardo Ruggiero, the man on the left, is the president of the Consorzio San Marzano, the organization that protects the honor of the tomato San Marzano.

I met Edoardo on my recent trip to Italy and it was one of the most interesting encounters of my  entire "food" carreer.

First thing Edoardo said was: maximum 1% of tomatoes in America sold as San Marzano are real San Marzano. Then, when I told him I would put it in writing, he said, OK, let's say 5%, to be on the safe side. It is still huge! Shocking! Absolutely SHOCKING!!! It means that at least 95% of the tomatoes that you find in the supermarkets and that make a reference to San Marzano on their label, are not San Marzano; that you are paying a mark up for a fake product. It does not mean the product is not good; it means that the product is NOT  San Marzano and should not be promoted as such.

Edoardo went on and explained to me that "illegal" companies send big containers of tomato tins "in bianco" (without labels) to America and the labels are put on the tins when they have safely arrived to America. Since in America, the DOP does not have any legal value, you can call a tomato San Marzano, San Giovanni, Giuseppino... it cannot be pursued. In fact, Edoardo tells me, there is a company that calls itself "San Marzano" and specifically announces on its labels that its tomatoes are even grown in the USA. I don't know the international food laws, but something is not right, here. What would you think if a dairy in Wisconsin calls itself "Parmigiano Reggiano"?

Danicoop, a Real Family behind Real San Marzano Tomatoes

It took us a very very long time to select DOP San  Marzano Tomatoes to import to America and carry in Gustiamo's Italy's Best Foods' catalog. It looks like in America everybody grows and sells San Marzano! With all the fakes around, we needed to be absolutely sure to find a producer with our same passion, integrity and honesty.

Gustiamo is proud to import San Marzano Tomatoes from Danicoop, a cooperative of 100 farmers in the Agro Sarnese Nocerino, a small area south of Napoli, where the village of San Marzano is located.

We are sure Danicoop's are real San Marzano DOP tomatoes because:

1. Danicoop president, Edoardo Ruggiero, is also the President of the Consorzio DOP San Marzano and there is no other person in the world who cares more about the authenticity of the product than he does; and

2. We met the farmers, visited the fields, saw the plants and know Edoardo Ruggiero's family well and can vouch for them. From left: Pasquale (son), Anna Maria (Mrs. Ruggiero), Paolo (son), Edoardo and Lucia (Paolo's wife). This picture was taken in the shop of Danicoop, where they sell food from local artisans (including Maida's) and produce grown by the farmers members of the cooperative. Below is Paolo, Edoardo's son, explaining to us what the "spaccio aziendale" is all about. If you go to the Sarnese Nocerino area, you must do your food shopping at Danicoop. As we say in Italian, Kilometro Zero doesn't get shorter than this! Click on the arrow to see and listen to Paolo Ruggiero. In English. Bravissimo!!!

Gustiamo, the Lean and Clean Importer of Italy's Best Foods

We deliver to New York's best restaurants and stores. This is outside Eataly, delivering the Terra Amore e Fantasia tomatoes. We are the ones with the Prius, lean and clean all the way!!! We try our best to limit our foot print to a minimum. We have several discussions with our friends, the fundamentalist locavores. Yes, we import from Italy, but it's by boat (99% of our inventory); yes, we pollute... but how much less polluting is trucking from California? We all want to support the artisans, lost traditions and endangered plants and fruits; if the Italian artisans do not sell outside their small villages, they will die. We don't want that.

Piennolo Tomatoes - Not Only...

These tomatoes are jumping! The article in the New York Times by Florence Fabricant (click here if you missed it!) is inspiring: she says you can use them for pizza, pasta, on baked fish... and this BEAUTIFUL picture by Dan Neville, gives the jar of tomatoes a new light and life! Thank you bothl!!! The news spread fast; even Il Mattino, THE daily paper of Napoli, proudly announced that a neapolitan local product, the Piennolo Tomatoes by Casa Barone, was mentioned in The New York Times.

We are all very proud!  We have been carrying the Piennolo Tomatoes for 10 (ten) years! It took some time, but finally they received the universal recognition they deserve!!!

The thing is: we are proud of ALL our producers, and their creations. ALL the products we represent in America are selected with the same attention and integrity. They are ALL great food and food that is good for you. You should try them ALL, even if they are not New York Times famous. Not yet, at least!

If you have questions, want suggestions of what to try in your next order, call us in the office (718 860 2949)! We'd love to tell you what is your next Piennolo Tomato!