'STRATTU

'Strattu or estratto di pomodoro [tomato extract] is similar to the Greek tomato paste you can buy in tins in Britain, but it has a richer taste and is thicker. In summer skinned, seeded tomatoes are salted and laid out on wooden tables or boards [or in containers on balconies] to dry in the sun. During this process, the purée is stirred constantly for however many days it takes to obtain a texture resembling that of clay. Then it is put into preserving jars and covered with oil.

I don't think it's worth making it unless you have a source of home-grown tomatoes, as it can be bought easily, by weight, in shops and supermarkets these days. I like to compare the different shades of red in the various stores. The photo shows some that I bought this morning and this is how I like it: nearly black in colour, so thick that you could turn the container upside-down and the paste will not move and smelling not only of tomatoes but very definitely of the sun. Incidentally, I tried to make it once in Britain during what passes, there, for a hot summer. But that northern sun is just not hot enough to dry the purée out, for all our cries of "What a scorcher!"

I do make my own tomato sauce and always add a dollop of 'strattu to the mixture.