Much more than a flawless solution to weeknight entertaining, this ready-to-eat tomato sauce represents the Italian tomato dream team: a special collaboration between Francesco Vastola of Maida farm and longtime Gusti friend Danielle Glantz of Pastaio Via Corta, a handmade pasta and Italian provisions supplier in Gloucester, MA.
The big idea? Take Danielle’s own ready-made sauce recipe and sub in Francesco’s tomatoes, carefully selected from the seed collection he’s amassed over 35 years of farming. The result? A jar of pure pomodoro bliss, tomatoes perfectly balanced between sweetness and acidity, flavored with just basil, sea salt, and EVOO. You are, right now, just one pot of boiling water away from perfect pasta al pomodoro without a plane ticket to Campania….or Massachusetts! Team work makes the tomato dream work. ...read more
Danielle makes her own jarred sauce using just tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and basil; for this collaboration, Francesco has followed her recipe but selected two tomatoes from his own seed collection cultivated on the outskirts of Cilento National Park in the heart of Campania. The result is a full-bodied sauce that balances sweetness with the rich umami and natural acidity of the tomatoes, perfect for any recipe that calls for a tomato sauce base.
Francesco’s life’s work is to grow the highest quality fruits and vegetables typical of the Cilento area, harvest them at their peak of freshness, and turn them into extraordinary products. As usual, he follows the same traditional methods that generations of Italians have used in their home cooking. The two local tomatoes - belonging to the Rio Grande and San Marzano variety - are peeled and pureed, then mixed in the jars with basil, olive oil, and salt.
In Danielle, Francesco and Gustiamo have found a true kindred spirit, sharing a commitment to preserving real quality Italian food produced by farmers and artisans who respect the land and the communities who live there. We are pleased to share this passion with fellow lovers of true Italian taste!
