How Giada De Laurentiis Turns Canned Tomatoes Into A Fresh Dip

I give my undivided attention any time I hear Giada De Laurentiis mentioned. When I hear her name in the same sentence as the words "canned tomatoes," I'm definitely all ears. The TV chef shared a video on Instagram of her preparing a beautiful green and red dip with similar ingredients to traditional Italian Caprese. So how do you improve on a perfect Caprese salad, which which usually consists of fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella or burrata cheese? In this instance, it's by using canned tomatoes instead of fresh, and substituting the mozzarella for creamy ricotta to create a dip. 

With the higher moisture content of both the canned tomatoes and the ricotta cheese, these components help to create a more "dippable" texture. This is especially true since the ricotta is whipped, and the tomatoes are pulsed in a blender until they're beautifully smooth before being poured on top. Equally as important as the texture of this appetizer is the taste, though. Surprisingly, the flavor really can't be achieved without the real star of this dish: canned tomatoes. 

You may be thinking to yourself, "how could canned tomatoes have more flavor than fresh?" This is a completely valid question. But the difference here lies in the type De Laurentiis' recipe calls for – and that's canned cherry tomatoes, also known as little flavor bombs of concentrated sweetness. I could easily consume an entire can of these at once! If you've never had or seen canned whole cherry tomatoes before, they're easier to find than you'd think.

Fresh cherry tomatoes are often naturally sweeter and juicier than larger varieties of tomatoes like plum or hot house. And the same applies when tomatoes are canned. Since standard canned tomatoes, like diced tomatoes, are intended for cooking, they'll most likely be made using plum tomatoes. Therefore, using a regular can for this dip won't impart quite the same kind of sweet flavor or juicy texture that canned whole cherry tomatoes will. 

Giada De Laurentiis' recipe specifically calls for an imported product — red datterini tomatoes – which are similar though not quite the same as cherry, with more of an oblong shape. But if you can't get hold of those, you can also find good canned cherry tomatoes from more accessible brands like Cento, Mutti, and Colavita.

Aside from the tomatoes, De Laurentiis' recipe calls for just a few other simple ingredients that you may already have on hand. These are whole-milk ricotta cheese (if you don't already have this in your fridge, it's surprisingly easy to make ricotta at home), salt, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and fresh torn basil. You'll also need crackers or bread for dipping. Alternatively, you could even mix this dip into al dente noodles, but choose the right pasta so your sauce sticks — radiatori is ideal. It only takes only 15 minutes to make this flavorful dip. But it looks so appetizing, it will probably even less time to devour.