Ziti and the D.O.P. Tomatoes

Sounds like the name of a rock band doesn't it?

Today's post is short and sweet - like the tomatoes - because I needed something to post to stop looking at that raw tongue photo. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, you know what I mean?

Anyhow, the certification D.O.P. on this can of San Marzanos stands for denominazione d'origine protetta. Say it with me one time. Protected by law and the Italian government, these pear-shaped beauties are guaranteed to be grown from original seed stock in the volcanic soil of the Saranese-Nocerino area of Italy.

They are renowned for their tart, firm pulp, deep red colour and low seed count, a point that would suggest the preciousness of saving the seeds for the next crop! They make killer sauce.

Their texture is velvety and flavour sweetly tart. The tomatoes work beautifully on a pizza made from D.O.P flour, simply hand-squished on top with a drizzle of olive oil and a whack of fresh basil leaves.

They're hard to find in Canada - the Sclafani brand that is - so I slipped over to Seattle last weekend and picked up a can at De Laurentis. Renowned for their - how you say - pricing, I sucked it up and paid $6.25 for a 28 oz can, along with a bag of less expensive Ziti pasta.

But really, it's worth every penny.

You just don't see ziti pasta available much. Especially in a long tube shape. Looking through my cookbooks, there was not one reference to ziti. Not even Marcela Hazan. How many cookbooks does one have to own?

So I applied the phrase "be the noodle", something I recently picked up from a local pasta maker (more on that later). And me as the ziti noodle said meat sauce.

I threw together a series of meatballs mixed with toasted fennel seeds, garlic and crushed red hot chilies.
The tomato sauce is a no brainer. Saute some minced carrots and onions first if you like, but it's not necessary. Add the hand-squished tomatoes to the saucepan, bring to a boil and let simmer for about an hour. Check for seasoning. I find the San Marzanos appreciate a bit of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Mash any larger tomato pieces with a potato masher, or for a finer texture, whizz the sauce around with a hand blender.

I baked my meatballs at 350 degrees. I don't think they need to be fried. Often I will poach them in tomato sauce, it cuts down on those extra unneeded calories.

The ziti can be cooked in their long shape if you were making a casserole - and I'll try that in the future - but for this dish, I snapped them into easier-to-handle pieces, cooked in boiling salted water and tossed all together for dinner. Top with cheese, of course.

Mangia!