Ask Chef Otto ...

Q: Chef Otto, I know Dei Fratelli loves the picnic season! You’ve got so many fabulous recipes for picnics. I was wondering ... What is the history of picnicking?

A: You know ... We were wondering that too! Apparently, the earliest picnics were in England and were medieval hunting feasts — as the feast before the chase assumed a special importance. Foods consumed would have been pastries, hams, baked meats, and so on.

Today, of course, we think the BEST picnic foods include tomato-based recipes! Planning a picnic for your family/friends soon? Send us a picture! We’d love to see it.

By the way: if you’re interested, here’s a really cool article we found in The New York Times: 101 20-Minute Dishes for Inspired Picnics.

Do you have a question for Chef Otto? If so, send it to us!

What Sauce are You?

With so many flavors of pasta sauces available, flaunting different tastes, ingredients and heats, it’s hard to choose which one will be right for you and your taste buds. Want to know what your pasta sauce personality is? Answer the questions below then follow our guide to find out which sauce you are.

1. Would you describe yourself as:
a. Practical and Grounded
b. Passionate, Lively and Courageous
c. Sensitive, Compassionate and Romantic
d. Quick, Decisive and "On the Go"

2. Your ideal Saturday night would include:
a. A cozy night at home with friends and family watching movies and playing board games
b. Getting dressed up for a night out at the newest hot spot in town
c. A romantic dinner and "date night" with your special someone
d. An evening outdoors, either camping out or taking a stroll through a park near your home

3. When you think of Dei Fratelli products, you think ...
a. Boy, I remember my grandma using that same great product in her family recipes.
b. Italian at it’s best! Now that’s amore!
c. I feel good about giving my family the very best.
d. Open a can, throw it on some pasta, and I’m a miracle chef!

If you chose mostly "A" then your pasta sauce personality is Dei Fratelli’s Mushroom Pasta Sauce. This sauce offers a delightfully rich and rustic combination of hearty mushroom chunks united with robust vine-ripened crushed tomatoes. Another good option for you would be Dei Fratelli’s Three Cheese Pasta Sauce. This sauce hosts a distinctive blend of Parmesan, Asiago and Romano cheese combine with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and vine-ripened crushed tomatoes to produce this deliciously rich, cheese lovers' delight.

If you chose mostly "B" then your pasta sauce personality is Dei Fratelli’s Arrabbiata Pasta Sauce. The fusing of spicy red peppers with crushed and diced vine ripened tomatoes produces this wonderfully intense and fiery sauce. Another good alternative is Dei Fratelli’s Fire Roasted Vegetable Pasta Sauce. Fire Roasted zucchini, red and yellow bell peppers, onions and carrots make for a deliciously, savory sauce sure to provide you with your latest culinary masterpiece.

If you chose mostly "C" then your pasta sauce personality is Dei Fratelli’s Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce. Perhaps the most versatile of all our sauces, the delicately clean flavor created by combining vine-ripened crushed and diced tomatoes with fresh chopped basil leaves offer culinary options too many to list. Another sauce perfect for you would be Dei Fratelli’s Marinara Pasta Sauce. The refreshingly, robust taste of crushed and diced vine-ripened tomatoes mingle with flavorful onions, garlic and Italian seasonings to produce a wonderful taste sensation not soon forgotten. A fantastic start to any Italian dish.

If you chose mostly "D" then your pasta sauce personality is Dei Fratelli’s Traditional Pasta Sauce. This is a full-bodied sauce created from vine-ripened crushed and diced tomatoes blended with onions, peppers, oregano, basil, garlic and Romano cheese. A memorable taste experience your family will surely enjoy. Another good option for you includes Dei Fratelli’s Home-style Pasta Sauce. This original family recipe captures the true tomato flavor of freshly crushed vine-ripened tomatoes carefully blended with spices and a dash of Romano cheese.

Serving Food Safely

• Never leave anything out for more than 2 hours. Bacteria that can cause food borne illness grows rapidly at room temperature.
• Keep hot food hot and cold food cold. Your lasagna and chilli should stay hot – your salsa should stay cold. Eat leftovers within four days.
• Don’t multitask. A common mistake is to use the same knife or cutting board for vegetables and meat. This can spread bacteria easily.

About Canned Foods and Safety

• Canned foods ensure the ultimate in freshness – making them not only tasty and safe for up to two years, but easy to make as well.
• Most canned foods contain no preservatives. Vegetables are picked and packed at the peak of ripeness, cooking quickly at high temperatures and sterilized in steel cans to keep nutrients in and impurities out.
• It is not recommended to cook or bake in empty, repurposed cans since the intense, prolonged heat of a stove or oven can compromise the integrity of the can.

Find Your Favorite Dei Fratelli Products in More Places Than Ever Before

• Atwoods
• Publix
• Harris Teeter
• Dierbergs

Atwoods
Because of you, our consumers, and your love for our tomato products we are excited to announce that Dei Fratelli tomato products are now being sold in Atwoods! With participating locations in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas, check out all of the products you can find at our newest retailer!

• Dei Fratelli Chopped Mexican Tomatoes 14.5 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Chopped Italian Tomatoes 14.5 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Chopped Tomatoes with Onion & Garlic 14.5 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Petite Diced Tomatoes 14.5 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Petite Diced Tomatoes with Onion, Celery & Peppers 14.5 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Seasoned Diced Tomatoes 14.5 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Our Original Salsa – Medium 70 oz. jug
• Dei Fratelli Arrabbiata Pasta Sauce 26 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Fire Roasted Vegetable Pasta Sauce 26 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Three Cheese Pasta Sauce 26 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce 26 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Homestyle Pasta Sauce 26 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Marinara Sauce 26 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Mushroom Pasta Sauce 26 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Traditional Pasta Sauce 26 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Tasty Tom Spicy Tomato Juice 46 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Tomato Juice 46 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Vegetable Juice 46 oz.

Also, in addition to adding Atwoods as our newest retailer, we’ve also added more products to some of your favorite retailers already carrying Dei Fratelli tomato products.

Publix
Publix locations in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina have added the following Dei Fratelli tomato products:

• Dei Fratelli Crushed Tomatoes 28 oz.

Harris Teeter
Harris Teeter locations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Maryland, Delaware and Washington D.C. have added the following Dei Fratelli tomato products:

• Dei Fratelli Seasoned Diced Tomatoes 28 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Petite Diced Tomatoes 28 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Tomato Sauce 28 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Crushed Tomatoes With Basil & Herbs 28 oz.

Dierbergs
Lastly, Dierbergs locations in St. Louis, Missouri have added the following Dei Fratelli tomato products:

• Dei Fratelli Traditional Pasta Sauce 26 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce 26 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Marinara Sauce 26 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Homestyle Pasta Sauce 26 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Chili Ready Diced Tomatoes 14.5 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Chopped Tomatoes With Onion & Garlic 14.5 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Tomato Puree 28 oz.
• Dei Fratelli Tomato Sauce 8 oz.