This time of year we really start pining for summer tomatoes. Even the best hothouse tomatoes don’t measure up. They’re not as sweet or as acid and even the ripe ones are usually far too firm. Mind you, we always have some homemade marinara sauce in the pantry, but cooked sauces are no substitute for fresh vegetables.

We’ve tried using any number of U.S. canned tomato products, and they too fall short. But the same isn’t true for certain European canned tomatoes—especially those grown and packed in Italy. And, more to the point, those grown and packed in southern Italy and packed without added calcium chloride or preservatives. This may not be immediately obvious, since the front of the labels don’t carry the European geographical indication seal the way wines do. That’s probably why the European Commission has launched a ‶Greatest Tomatoes from Europe″ campaign to raise consumer consciousness.

We got our hands on a couple of cans of Davia tomatoes (www.davia.it), grown and packed outside Naples, and decided to put them to the test with one of our favorite fresh tomato dishes. Note: the photo just below was taken last fall, when we had both red and yellow cherry tomatoes.

GNOCCHI WITH PESTO, CHERRY TOMATOES, AND FRICO

We thought this dish was off our menu until next summer, but the sweetness and quality of European-grown canned tomatoes have brought it back as an occasional winter joy. Essentially, we use peeled whole tomatoes to make the equivalent of a fresh tomato sauce and substitute canned cherry tomatoes for fresh ones to toss with the gnocchi. Since we always have some pesto (made over the summer and frozen) and fresh basil on hard, the hardest part of the preparation is making the cheese crisps (frico, as they’re known in Friuli) to provide some crunch.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

2 ounces finely grated Grana Padano, Montasio, or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
400 gram can of peeled whole Grown-in-Europe tomatoes
400 gram can Grown-in-Europe cherry tomatoes, skins removed
10 ounces gnocchi
1/4 cup basil pesto
1 cup mozzarella pearls, room temperature
2 tablespoons fresh basil, julienned

DIRECTIONS

Set oven at 350°F.

Using a biscuit cutter on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, sprinkle grated cheese in circles. Bake 6-8 minutes, until cheese just begins to brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Peel from sheet with metal spatula. Reserve the frico.

In large frying pan, heat olive oil. Add onion and sauté until soft. Chop the whole tomatoes and add to pan. Cook, stirring, until reduced to a light sauce (about 5 minutes), then add juices from can of cherry tomatoes.

Remove peels from cherry tomatoes and set aside. Cook gnocchi in boiling salted water. When done, toss with pesto and cherry tomatoes.

Spoon half the tomato sauce into the bottom of each of two 8-inch bowls. Using a large spatula, lift the gnocchi mixture into the bowls. Distribute mozzarella pearls over each bowl and sprinkle with julienned basil. Top with frico.