Dececco D.O.P. San Marzano - best S.M. available?

[djones148]

I just picked up some Dececcos because they were on sale (at Gelson's for you So. Cal. people) and I'm pretty impressed. I've noticed in the past that some other Italian brands seemed to have poor canning quality due -- I assume --  to their factories not being quite up to snuff but these looked excellent.

There was an address for the factory listed on the can, so I did a little Googling and it turns out these are made in Mercato San Serevino by a company called Salvati which sells the brand  Fontanella. http://www.salvatispa.it/Home.html  I've never seen Fontanella here in the U.S.  On their site they had a link to a 10 min. youtube video they put up which shows their operations and it looked great.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l6wTyJcSxw" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l6wTyJcSxw</a>

The cans have the same white enamel type of lining that Muir Glen uses to prevent that tinny taste. In my can all of the tomatoes inside where whole and completely intact, and there was just one small piece of errant skin. I'm still not sure if I prefer San Marzanos over the better U.S. brands (escpecially considering the price differential), but fans of the Italian tomatoes may want to check these out if they see them. 

[jeff v]

These are my absolute favorite tomatoes. They make a fantastic pasta sauce too, and it's really quick. Not that you asked, but here's how to make better spaghetti marinara than you can get at most restaurants for under $2 per serving.

Slice 2 cloves of garlic thin and saute them and a pinch of crushed red pepper in EVOO til starting to turn golden. Then add the tomatoes that you crushed by hand and their juice. Put in 8-10 fresh basil leaves, salt and pepper. Oregano if you feel like it, and maybe a dash of sugar. Simmer while pasta cooks. Add pasta to sauce to finish the last minute or 2 of cooking-DON'T over cook it! Top w/ Reggiano, and no one in your neighborhood will be eating better that night. We had this for dinner last night. It is the perfect amount of sauce for one pound of pasta. Hey get good pasta too since you spent all that $ on the tomatoes!

Thanks for the youtube link BTW-very cool.

Jeff

[djones148]

That recipe looks great, Jeff. I'll give it a try. Do you have a favorite pasta brand?

[jeff v]

I usually get Garofolo http://www.garofalopasta.com/index.html spaghetti and penne- they carry it at Costco. Otherwise De Cecco actually makes very good dry pasta and in lots of shapes too. I know it's double what you pay for Barilla or others, but you can actually taste the wheat in these. Again I know you didn't ask, but I feel obligated to pass along the three greatest things I've learned about pasta cooking.

1. Don't over cook it.
2. Don't over sauce it.
3. Finish cooking it in the sauce.

Best,

Jeff

[tdeane]

I usually get Garofolo http://www.garofalopasta.com/index.html spaghetti and penne- they carry it at Costco. Otherwise De Cecco actually makes very good dry pasta and in lots of shapes too. I know it's double what you pay for Barilla or others, but you can actually taste the wheat in these. Again I know you didn't ask, but I feel obligated to pass along the three greatest things I've learned about pasta cooking.

1. Don't over cook it.
2. Don't over sauce it.
3. Finish cooking it in the sauce.

Best,

Jeff

Here in BC Barilla is more expensive than De Cecco, but I by De Cecco more often than not. Their pappardelle with eggs is excellent and fills in nicely when I am too lazy to make my own. Otherwise, my favorite dried pasta is the one that comes in the brown paper. Anyone know what brand that is? It's very expensive, but worth it.

[Pete-zza]

Otherwise, my favorite dried pasta is the one that comes in the brown paper. Anyone know what brand that is? It's very expensive, but worth it.

Terry,

Is it the Rusticella d' Abruzzo such as shown, for example, at http://www.amazon.com/Rustichella-DAbruzzo-Spaghetti/dp/B0009WPSTM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=gourmet-food&qid=1234171618&sr=1-5 ?

Peter

[jeff v]

The Rusticella d' Abruzzo is great, but I can't see paying that much for an "everyday" pasta.

[tdeane]

Terry,

Is it the Rusticella d' Abruzzo such as shown, for example, at http://www.amazon.com/Rustichella-DAbruzzo-Spaghetti/dp/B0009WPSTM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=gourmet-food&qid=1234171618&sr=1-5 ?

Peter

Yeah that's the one. It's the best dried pasta you can get but I agree with Jeff V, it's just too expensive to eat everyday.

[waco_huber]

They carry the De Cecco brand at my local (Waco) HEB.   They are excellent!  I will note the price next time I am there.

[Mike2000]

The Dececco San Marzano tomatoes are great, but my favorite is still Lavalle. And for an everyday Artisian pasta try Maestri Pastai. Maestri is very close to the same quality of Rusticella d' Abruzzo at half the price. If you don't have these brands in your local market, try Gourmetitalian.com. I found both there.