Celia asks: In one of your recipes you said that if I’m going to use canned tomatoes, I should buy Italian San Marzano tomatoes. What’s so special about them?

In my recipe for Easy Homemade Tomato Sauce, I suggested that you buy canned Italian San Marzano tomatoes because they deliver a tangy, bright flavor… far superior to many other canned tomatoes. But what are San Marzano tomatoes?

San Marzano tomatoes are basically plum tomatoes with a lush, elegant flesh; they are grown in Italy’s southern Sarno River Valley. The tomatoes stay on the vine longer than many other varieties, which gives them a sweeter, less acidic taste.

They also have thinner skins with fewer seeds, so you have a firm, but supple bite, even after cooking them for a long time, like in my Homemade Tomato Sauce.

If you want to make sure the canned tomatoes you are buying are REAL San Marzanos, look for the Italian D.O.P. (or Denominazione di Origine Protetta) designation on the can. This means that the Italian tomato famers followed specific government agricultural rules. You can (sort of) equate these rules to the USDA regulations regarding products that can and cannot use the USDA Organic Seal.

Italian San Marzano tomatoes do have their detractors, so you’ll need to conduct your own taste test. If you can’t find real Italian San Marzano tomatoes, try whole Muir Glen Organic Tomatoes.

Lilia writes: In your recipe for Pistachio Soup, you say the pistachios should be “shelled, peeled and chopped.” Well, I shelled them, but it took too long to peel them so I gave up and ate them. Is there an easier way?

One of my favorite food stories is when London’s Marks and Spencer department store began selling pistachios for first time in the early 1960’s. As pistachios were new to many customers,  M&S included instructions telling shoppers how to peel pistachios before eating. Many did not read the instructions.

There was a serious lack of instruction in my recipe… apologies. Removing the shell is easy (and seems obvious) compared to getting rid of the pistachio’s thin protective skin. This skin is edible, but it’s usually removed in recipes to make the dish look nicer.

Here’s how to remove the skin:
1. Shell the nuts and place in a bowl.
2. Boil two cups of water for every cup of pistachio.
3. Pour the boiling water over the nuts and let them stand 2 to 3 minutes. Drain.
4. Spoon the nuts onto the top half of a clean dishtowel laid out on a cutting board or counter.
5. Fold the bottom half of the dishtowel over the nuts and give them a good rub. The nut should slip right out of their skins.

I am always happy when I get comments that help make my recipes better. Thanks Lilia!