(sidenote, it is very difficult to photograph a can of crushed tomatoes!):
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No one else is really writing about this, so I guess it’s up to me.
Crushed tomatoes are a marvelous invention. Canning is, really. I mean. What if all you could ever eat were fresh tomatoes, and when they were out of season, that was it? And what if in order to make pasta sauce you had to like. Pick tomatoes and then stew them a bit and then crush them!?
Anyway they’re good things, generally speaking.
Some brands have started adding “fire-roasted” flavor as.. .an ingredient? Like. How is that an ingredient? Like. Did they really put them over a fire? If so they should absolutely include a picture of that on the can? Because if they really did that, why would they not include a picture of that on the can?
I digress.
Anyway the important thing to note about crushed tomatoes is that it’s great that they’re there, also I love that they can be store-bought, because I’m currently too scared to try home-canning because I don’t want to get botulism, but I’m sure that lots of people do it safely and that’s great and maybe they can teach me. I also get stressed when things are under pressure, like Instant Pots, too, like. I don’t know. Sometimes it feels like playing with fire? To trust.. the glass jar, the lid, etc? (?!) <someone could write a sermon about using the Instant Pot as an act of faith. I would never. You really shouldn’t. Don’t do it. don’t>
anyway.
I can’t eat crushed tomatoes at the moment but I hope to again someday, and I’ve tried lots of brands, and they all taste like tomatoes.
I will make one plug, though, for the marvel that his canned whole tomatoes. Because you can hand-crush them, which is one of the most fun things that can happen in a kitchen. You must wear an apron, and wash your hands well first, but seriously, squishing tomatoes is pure joy. It will make you forget everything else. You will simply wonder why you haven’t spent more time squishing tomatoes with your bare hands.
And then you can add a stick of butter and some sauteed onions and garlic and salt, basil, oregano, a dash of crushed red pepper and let that simmer on the stove for a long time… like at least 20 min but you can do longer on low. 1 28z can per 1 lb pasta is a good combo. And you toss it over high heat after you’ve almost completely drained the pasta but not quite. In the pasta. You toss it in the pasta, along with the pasta, together. They must be together at the time of tossing. Then add parmesan.
k.
