Dense, glossy and intensely fruity, this may be the most potent tomato paste we’ve ever tasted. It all starts on the roof of La Pasticceria di Maria Grammatico, an iconic pastry shop in Sicily that has crafted the estratto (concentrated tomato paste) for decades. Fresh-picked San Marzano tomatoes are hand-ground into a paste, spread on taulieri (seasoned wood boards) and dried during the summer’s intense heat. The shop’s staff will turn the paste twice a day to ensure it develops a perfectly dense consistency. The boards are moved indoors each night to prevent moisture build-up; at sunrise, the paste is returned to the rooftop. After 8 to 10 days of sun-drying, the estratto is seasoned with Trapani sea salt, spooned into large clay jars and covered in Sicilian EVOO to preserve its deep color and intensity.

A little goes a long way, as this estratto is much more complex and dense than run-of-the-mill tomato paste. Add it judiciously to pasta sauces, braises and soup for robust body. We can eat this stuff straight from a spoon. Hard to find outside Italy, the paste is conveniently packaged in a resealable jar, so it will last in the refrigerator.

Net Weight/Volume: 100 grams
Ingredients: Tomatoes, Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Salt
Place of Origin: Italy

Meet Maria Grammatico
In post-World War II Italy, orphaned 11-year-old Maria Grammatico was sent to live at San Carlo Monastery in Erice, Sicily. Amid a life of seclusion, prayer and taxing chores, Maria learned the art of Sicilian pastry making by quiet observation. Once older, she was able to create pastries for holidays and special occasions. A decade later, Maria left the monastery (without a single possession to her name) to pursue her passion and ultimately open a humble pasticceria. Fast forward to modern-day Erice, and now 85-year-old Maria is world-renowned for her Sicilian pastries—from cannolis to dolce to tortas—and this potent tomato paste.

Maria Grammatico Pasticceria Estratto Di Pomodoro Tomato Paste

Pic's Double Crunch Almond Butter