In many of the British cooking programs I follow and British cookbooks I use, I've often run across an ingredient that is unfamiliar to me. It's called passata (or tomato passata) and it appears to be a liquid tomato puree that comes in tall, carafe-like glass jars. But what is it exactly and why would I use it instead of tomato sauce or tomato paste?
I did a little investigating and this is what I've discovered.
It seems as if passata is an uncooked tomato puree that has been strained of seeds and skins. It originated in Italy but is used throughout Europe. Some passatas are chunkier and some are smoother, depending on the brand. Some people claim that passata can also be cooked, but most agree that it is uncooked. You will also see it spelled passato and passata di pomodoro.
How is passata different from tomato sauce or tomato paste? Well, both the sauce and paste are cooked tomato products to begin with. Tomato sauce often has other ingredients such as carrots, onions, garlic, etc. And tomato paste is cooked down and much thicker. You would not want to substitute either product if passata is called for in your recipe. If you cannot find it in your store, take plain canned tomatoes and run them through a sieve or a food mill. While most passatas are just plain tomatoes, some are sold with additions, such as basil, so read your label carefully if this is an issue.
Tomato passata can be used in any recipe that calls for tomatoes where it is not important that there be pieces of tomato. You could make a tomato sauce from passato, for example. Or tomato soup. I've seen it added to white beans to make a stew. Indeed, it is a great product for meat-based stews as well.
Pasata is rarely used in the United States but I have found it in several grocery stores in the Bay Area, usually on the very bottom shelf in the canned tomato product section. I have also seen a version of it in an aseptic box put out by Pomi (see photo, left.) In general, passata is considered to be a superior product to canned tomatoes, using higher quality tomatoes and processing methods. I'm really looking forward to giving it a try!
Do you use passata? What's your favorite way to use it?
Related: Help Me Find BPA-Free Canned Tomatoes!
(Image: Primo Foods and Pomi)
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I don't see how this is really any different from canned crushed tomatoes (which also generally have the seeds and skins removed.)
I was thinking the same thing--it's plain puree in a jar instead of a can.
I always use it. I hate the taste of canned tomatoes, and how they always seem a bit watery, no matter how much I cook them down. I get passata at the Italian grocery near my house, and it's only about 2$ Canadian for a bottle. It tastes a lot fresher than canned tomatoes, and it cooks to a nice smooth consistency. LOVE IT!!
You both are right, "passata" means that the crushed tomatoes have been passed through a sieve.
Passata is a pretty traditional italian way to preserve tomatoes And yes, it's cooked! I'm italian (I feel the need to specify it), and this is the way we make passata at home in the end of summer: cook well ripen tomatoes (roughtly cut) till they boil in a pot, strain most of the liquid (tomatoes are mostly water, after all), and pass what's left through a machine that eliminates skin and seed (we have a special gear for it). In order to preserve it for the following months, we put it in jars and sterilise them by boiling the jars in a pot full of water for quite a long time.
The consistency is neither liquid neither solid if done properly, and taste amazing, if the original tomatoes are really good - in particular it shouldn't be sour at all. It's used in everything that requires tomatoes (but raw tomatoes, of course) out of season. Pasta sauce, pizza, stews, everything.
I really don't think there exist a raw version, that would be basically tomatoes juice. Think about 100 years ago: how could they make passata that could last for months without cooking? And cooking help to concentrate the taste, anyway....
Marta
I guess I unknowingly used it when I got a carton of Pomi tomatoes a while ago! It made the most delicious zucchini casserole, then red sauce for pasta. Mmm.
Tomato Passata is amazing. I use a lot of it when cooking any recipe that calls for tinned tomatoes. It's the basis for most of my spaghetti sauces. Typically I get Basil Tomato Passata for about $0.89 per bottle. My favorite recipe is meatballs (or uncased sausages) and beans cooked in Passata and served over polenta. The dish was inspired by FayFood's Dinner on a Tuesday, so I call it Martedi.
This is very common where I live (west-end Toronto), sometimes the grocery store is sold out! I use it for all of my sauces now, and only use canned tomatoes when I really want chunks.
Plain canned tomato sauce (the kind sold in little tins) can be easily substituted for Passata. I moved from the US to the UK and I have no problems replacing plain tomato sauce with Passata in my recipes and vice versa when I visit the US.
This is so common here (south of Toronto) that I didn't even realise it was a special item. Not long ago, I was making a recipe that called for Tomato Sauce. I thought to myself: they can't mean spaghetti sauce! So, I picked up jars of this, instead. It's just basically tomato puree.
Passata is my FAVORITE for the basis of a bloody mary. Really nice, thick consistency.
Sorry but saying that "passata is considered to be a superior product to canned tomatoes" is wrong. At the opposite: the passata it's a puree, and you can't see what it is made of (what part of good whole tomatoes, and what part of bits of partially ruined/rotten tomatoes). I prefer using fresh tomatoes (and throw them for a minute in boiling water to make easier to take the skin off) or whole tomatoes in a can: just pass them through a sieve and you'll have a passata. (Yes, I'm italian)
Huh, I always subsitute pasta sauce or crushed tomatoes for passata, depending on what i'm cooking. I've found its made no difference.
Great pizza sauce. I learned this from my Italian friend. Sprinkle your fave herbs on top!