Tomato Passata Is The Italian Secret To Upgrading Any Tomato Sauce

Late summer has a lot to offer: fireflies, long nights outside, and the beach to name a few. But perhaps there's no better example than the tomato — rotund and crimson, heavy still with the scent from the vine. A flavor that defines a season and is nearly impossible to enjoy in colder months. There's a way to enjoy that bright, fresh flavor year-round, and it doesn't require more than a trip to the market.

Tomato passata is the answer for all of your out-of-season tomato needs. Picture a jar full of tomatoes, picked at the height of the season and pureed into a bright, flavorful sauce. It offers a brilliant alternative to the standby stash of canned tomatoes in the pantry. Tomato passata may be the Italian version of tomato paste, but it's really so much more — it's a multitasking powerhouse in the kitchen.

When you think of tomato puree, you probably conjure the image of a can packed with thick, dark tomato sauce. American tomato puree is most commonly used to start tomato sauce or used as an addition to dishes like stew and chili. It's rarely, if ever, the star of a dish, but the same can't be said about tomato passata, its Italian cousin.

Tomato passata is technically a tomato puree, but it's much more robust than the stuff in the cans. It's made with tomatoes that are picked in late summer for the maximum flavor. And tomato passata has a lot of flavor. Unlike other jarred pastes, purees, and sauces, it has a freshness to it. It's bright and alive, and absolutely delicious. It can be used in soups and stews, supporting other notes, but it can also be used to make a tomato sauce that's worthy of center stage.

Tomato passata can be made at home if you're looking for an afternoon project. All it requires is some ripe tomatoes, a bit of basil, and a food mill. The best tomato passata comes from the best tomatoes, so pick ones that are really ripe and fragrant. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and set them in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat to cook down for a half hour. Once the tomatoes have cooled down, it's time to run them through a food mill with some fresh basil and salt.

Your freshly made tomato passata is the perfect starting point for tomato sauce. Chef April McGregor swears by tomato passata, explaining in an interview with Wine & Spirits, "It is a flexible building block in your pantry meant to be seasoned further with onion, garlic, olive oil, butter or spices according to how you utilize it. Because of its simplicity, it is all about the tomatoes." You can build a garlicky marinara or a spicy arrabbiata with a few additional ingredients, but either would have the same, rich taste of ripe tomatoes. Tomato passata can also be canned or jarred, so that you have a bite of summer well into the colder months.