Fresh tomatoes picked from Masseria Mirogallo's own fields are blanched in boiling water, hand-peeled, and passed through a sieve. Full-bodied and aromatic, these strained tomatoes are the perfect base for delicious sauces, soups, and stews. The key to the best tomato sauce starts with fresh tomatoes picked at the perfect moment of ripeness—as done by the Belfiore family of Masseria Mirogallo on their farm in Basilicata. After harvest, the tomatoes are immediately processed into a passata (fresh tomato purée, or strained tomatoes) in small batches and bottled when the purée is rich and dense in texture. The Belfiore family is masterful at capturing the balance of sweetness and acidity that graces the perfectly ripe summer tomato. Thanks to the care that goes into the jar, these tomatoes save you considerable time in the kitchen. Use passata the way the Italians do, the simplest way of all, cooked as a sauce with onion or garlic and basil.