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I made that sauce every Saturday from January through March this year. I put on 20lbs. Thanks.

The key is stocking up on the San Marzano cans, as pictured. Wholefoods, at least by me, is somewhat inconsistent and I refuse to use their house brand.

With all due respect to Mr. Batali, I have to disagree about the obligate use of Italian tomatoes. While I am a firm believer in the concept of terroir, I am a firmer believer in the virtues of local food. Most areas of the US are capable of producing high-quality San Marzano tomatoes. The seeds of the variety are readily available, they are not difficult to grow, and they are easily preserved at home using well-known techniques.

I have tasted the tomatoes pictured above. They are indeed very good. I have also grown San Marzano and other varieties myself that are at least the equal of their Italian counterparts. I invite Mr. Batali to come enjoy my pizza with homegrown San Marzanos, and see if he can tell the difference.

I believe the San Marzano tomatoes in the picture are grown in the US.

I grew roma, plum, paste tomatoes in my yard and canned them( they are the only tomatoes I can) and my sauce was fabulous. I don't like to use canned unless I have no other option. Canned is full of salt.
Having said that sauce is a personal thing. I like to use basil and I don't use carrot but wine or tomato paste to thicken and put in some sweetness.
My crew likes some pepper flakes and lots of locatelli.
Mario's recipe sounds lovely and I am sure it is personal to him.
Now can we talk about meatballs?

I was also fooled by the tomatoes pictured. I believe I saw a can once say "Product of Canada", either way, they are certainly not from Italy.

I was just about to post "CAVEAT EMPTOR" in light of the deliberately deceptive label on the cans SOLD BY WHOLE FOODS MARKETS. Then I noticed others have posted the same warning. So, I'll add related comments:

1) I was fooled, too. It really is a marketing ploy, especially given the use of Italian words "Pomidori Pelati" in addition to retro-style graphics that are meant to appear Old World.

2) From what I understand, the prized tomatoes of San Marzano (near Naples) disappeared long, long ago. What I am writing here may not be accurate, so I am willing to stand corrected by an informed authority. However, I was told that seeds from these tomatoes were imported and grown elsewhere before the destruction of native crops and that "San Marzano" is now being used liberally as the name of a type of tomato whether or not the canned product can trace its lineage back to San Marzano.

Meanwhile, the area around San Marzano has become important both for living up to its traditional reputation for superior tomatoes and for processing tomatoes. Look for "DOP" on labels that promise the contents of the can were grown in San Marzano proper. Balducci sells them under the name La Valle for a low, promotional price; there are other brands that are also great. If the can does not say DOP, the tomatoes were shipped in from anywhere and merely processed near San Marzano. (And wait for a new article in The New Yorker about DOP tomatoes.)

3) I have to agree that there are other good brands of canned plum tomatoes. I've had luck w Ferrrara, recently. When in season, local plum tomatoes or even a mixture of different types of flavorful tomatoes produce a good sauce, though the yield on the latter is usually low if they're juicy and full of seeds. After all, local, seasonal, superior tomatoes honor the spirit of Italian cooking.

Adam,
Mario really isn't checking back here on things.
So who actually is putting these posts together?
I believe he would know if something is from Italy or not, yes?

Someone - please clarify?

Ive made the same sauce all my adult life with the addition of fresh basil, unfortunately, in the wilds of Alabama, I cant find san marzano tomatoes. So i usually end up using a good brand organic, it seems to work out fine. also, instead or plain old kosher salt I really like gray salt, I know its probablty mind over matter, but I can taste the diff.

I Google'd the cached page to see the picture that was removed and I've seen that brand at a local Italian market. In my opinion, the problem with those and most other canned tomatoes is the addition of citric acid. If you cook those down, the acid becomes more and more pronounced, making the sauce bitter. I have written it many times before on sites like this - the best tomatoes are the ones that have NO CITRIC ACID! Make a sauce with the precious San Marzanos like the ones pictured and a the same sauce with a can of regular tomatoes with no citric acid and see the difference. Now, if you can get San Marzanos with no citric acid (like you used to), it's Heaven.

as an addendum....
Kim Pierce at the Dallas Morning News
http://eats.beloblog.com/archives/2007/10/dop_means_real_san_marzano_tom.html
has great info on the San Marzano DOP tomatoes. worth reading

cheers,

I make a sauce from home-grown Roma tomatoes cut in half and layered with fresh basil and garlic cloves - slow cooked in the oven and then run through a food mill. I freeze as much as I can to get me through the winter. Don't add salt or pepper until you use it.

Add a couple heads of garlic to the roasting pan for other uses.

In case anyone who might benefit sees this, I agree with gmunger that I'm sad to see Mario, who has seen the joys of California produce, claim you can't get good San Marzano tomatoes in the US. I assure you that Mariquita and twosmallfarms dot com have fabulous San Marzanos for cooking- they suck for raw stuff, they are TOO low acid, but holy jeez cooked.. Love Apple Farms doesn't have it on their grow list this season- http://loveapplefarm.typepad.com/growbetterveggies/love-apple-farms-2008-tom.html but I bet Cynthia can tell you something good...