An Italian Chef Reveals His Favorite Tomato Recipes

It is the main ingredient in Italian cooking and there are countless varieties. They are used both fresh and as sauce. I got a few tips about using it “Italian style” from the award-winning chef and tomato expert Christian Costardi (Christian e Manuel Restaurant, Hotel Cinzia, Vercelli). He and his brother Manuel, also a chef, proposed a creative tomato rice, a dish often served at Italian schools and kindergartens for lunch, and thus also suitable for children. The recipe has been revisited and, to make an impression, it is served in a can (but you can use a plate).

Here is his advice.
1. Don’t saute the mirepoix before adding the tomato puree if you want to make a good tomato sauce for pasta. This way, you’ll have a sauce that tastes like tomatoes and not sauteed vegetables. All the ingredients should be raw. In other words, put the tomato puree, celery, carrots and onion in a pot and cook them all together. This maintains the flavor.
2. Watch the burner: since tomatoes have a lot of sugar, a caramelized crust can form around the edges of the pot as they cook. Monitor the cooking time and the temperature (low), and check the sauce often.
3. Every season has its version. If it’s late spring/early summer, use fresh tomatoes, at the height of their potential. In November, use sauce made when the tomatoes were fully ripe and flavorsome, as this will make a better sauce than tomatoes out of season.

A quick recipe:

Cold pasta with fresh tomato
Cut up cherry or Piccadilly tomatoes. Add a few anchovies, some olives, a whole clove of garlic and chopped basil. Set aside for 30 minutes. Cook the spaghetti until barely done (if the bag says 13 minutes, drain after 11). Drizzle some oil on the pasta, cool for two minutes, and then toss with the tomatoes, removing the clove of garlic.

A special recipe:

Costardi tomato rice (Serves 2)