  Nilma Dole
Every pizza needs a good tomato base and it is no wonder that Chef Saroj Kaluarachchi picks the choicest Italian tomatoes brought down to
the Bayleaf kitchen to put into your Harpo’s Pizza.
According to Chef Saroj, the best way to make a tomato base over the
pizza is to put the tomatoes and garlic in a pan over low heat and cook
gently for 30 minutes. Add the herbs and continue to cook for a further
30 minutes until the tomatoes are well reduced. Then take the tomatoes
out of the pan and drain. After it cools, chop it into fine dices and
season it. Puree and make it into a sauce.
Says Chef Saroj, “The tomato base has been used traditionally in
Italian pizza because it is a great ingredient to place the topping on”.
In addition to this, tomato is healthy and nutritious with a good
content of Vitamin C.
 “The simplest pizza topping is a tomato sauce, but you can add a
variety with additional toppings such as: grated cheese with slices of
mozzarella, olives, capers, sliced mushrooms, diced peppers, salami,
bacon, ham, sweet corn”, said Chef Saroj.
Tomatoes are believed to benefit the heart as they contain lycopene,
one of the most powerful natural antioxidants, which, especially when
tomatoes are cooked, has been found to help prevent cancer. Lycopene has
also been shown to improve the skin’s ability to protect against harmful
UV rays. Natural genetic variation in tomatoes and their wild relatives
has given a genetic treasure trove of genes that produce lycopene,
carotene, anthocyanin, and other antioxidants.
The town of Buñol, Spain, annually celebrates La Tomatina, a festival
centered on an enormous tomato fight. Tomatoes are also a popular
“non-lethal” throwing weapon in mass protests; and there was a common
tradition of throwing rotten tomatoes at bad performers on a stage
during the 19th century; today it is usually referenced as a mere
metaphor called `rotten tomatoes’.
Embracing it protest connotation, the Dutch Socialist party adopted
the tomato as their logo. Known for its tomato growth and production,
the Mexican state of Sinaloa has the tomato as its symbol. |
