These are the only San Marzano tomatoes I have been able to find so far (I live in Alaska!)… are they legit??

It sounds like you might have gotten a bad batch of tomatoes. Make certain the tomatoes are not just San Marzano, but also have the D.O.P label from Italy. The ones in the blue can are may favorite. Also, sometimes old olive oil can get rancid. Keep it all fresh! Good luck. I’m sure you’ll get it. This is no-fail with the right parts.

-Crystal
Propane Burners

So, I rashly tried this out tonight and I’m happy to say that while the result was def. not comparable to Delfina, it’s the closest I’ve ever gotten and it was delicious. My fiancée said it was the best tomato pasta I’d ever made! I don’t think I’m ever going to make tomato pasta any other way…

I used the brand I usually buy and had on hand, Glen Muir canned tomatoes, which IMO are excellent. High quality and very fresh and bright tasting. I bought a can of San Marzano DOP (from Italy!) and I think I actually prefer Glen Muir, but the jury is still out. Out of the can, I thought the San marzanos tasted heavier, darker, and “cannier” then the Glen Muir, but maybe cooking brings out their best.

I think the most significant thing your direction helped me out with was that I got that creamy texture to the pasta/sauce mixture, which I now understand is due to a) the high olive oil content in the sauce, and b) cooking the pasta in that sauce. I think this results in the pasta absorbing some of the oil as well… Also that low and slow on the garlic and peppers turns out the complex hotness I was scratching my head over.

If I can now just get the real brand of canned tomatoes they use, I think we’re in business!!

Next, I have to find out how Delfina Pizzeria makes their pizza sauce!

Clarification question: You say, “There are two ways I approach this. The maid taught me to pour them through my hand, grinding them up before adding them to the sauce. Craig uses a food mill after the tomatoes are cooked. I actually prefer Craig’s method here.”

So, is Craig’s method to: 1) do up the oil & garlic as you said, 2) pour tomatoes into oil, and then 3) put everything through the foodmill? I’m confused by “… after the tomatoes are cooked”, like are the tomatoes cooked separately and then put through the mill into the oil, or what i outlined above.

I’ve been asking the waitstaff about the recipe, the last one told me that they use “early girl” tomatoes, which are the first picked tomatoes of the season and are said to the be the sweetest, tastiest tomatoes of the year. But, they told me at bi-right that they didn’t know about anyone who canned ‘em. And a prior waitperson confirmed they use canned. Sigh.

I would love to get Craig’s original recipe!!