The essentials
The Italian Pantry Basket is a surplus-rescue bundle of five Italian staples from Pazzini, the zero-waste Italian deli in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés: a San Marzano passata, a tin of whole peeled tomatoes, an organic Tipo 00 pizza flour, a bottle of grape vinegar and an orange juice, all perfectly good but pulled from the shelves. Instead of heading for the bin because a date is creeping up or stock is overflowing, these products land in your cupboard for a fraction of their value. In practice, you walk away with the foundation of real Italian cooking: the base of every tomato sauce you'll make, the flour that gives pizza dough that soft-yet-crisp lift, the vinegar that wakes up your salads, and an orange juice for breakfast. It's the smart move for anyone who wants to eat well, cook Italian and fight food waste without breaking the bank. A cupboard that fills up, a planet that breathes a little easier.
What the basket contains
- Grape vinegar (red or white)
- San Marzano passata
- Tin of Italian peeled tomatoes (pelati)
- Organic Tipo 00 pizza flour
- Orange juice
Provenance
Region
Italy (Italian pantry products)
PDO
—
Method
Unsold dry-goods and tinned staples pulled from regular sale (approaching date, surplus, end-of-line) and bundled into a surplus-rescue basket.
Notes
Contents are indicative: the vinegar may be red or white. Check the best-before dates printed on each package at pickup.
Ideas for use
01
Proper Neapolitan pizza for Sunday night
Mix the Tipo 00 flour with water, salt and a little yeast, let it rise, then stretch it out. Spread on San Marzano passata seasoned with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil, add mozzarella and basil. Four products from the basket, one homemade pizza night that rivals the trattoria down the street.
02
A slow-simmered Italian tomato sauce
Soften garlic and onion, tip in the peeled tomatoes while crushing them with a spoon, season with salt and pepper, and let it simmer gently. In twenty minutes you've got a rustic sauce that's perfect over pasta, layered into a parmigiana, or spooned over meatballs.
03
The five-minute sauce that saves busy nights
San Marzano passata turns into sauce in five minutes: a drizzle of oil, a clove of garlic, a few basil leaves, and it's ready to coat your spaghetti. Ideal for nights when you've got neither the time nor the energy for a long cook.
04
A vinaigrette that wakes everything up
Grape vinegar, softer and fruitier than a standard vinegar, lifts a rocket salad, a tomato-and-mozzarella plate, or a simple green salad. A spoonful stirred into sauteed veg at the end of cooking adds a welcome tangy note too.
05
Breakfast the Italian way
The orange juice pairs with a cappuccino and a slice of toast to start the day like you're in Rome. Simple, full of vitamins, and already included in your rescue basket.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is inside Pazzini's Italian Pantry Basket?
The basket bundles five Italian pantry essentials: a 1 L bottle of grape vinegar (red or white), a 500 g San Marzano passata, a 400 g tin of Italian peeled tomatoes (pelati), a 1 kg bag of organic Tipo 00 pizza flour, and a 40 cl orange juice. These are dry-goods and tinned staples, perfect for building the base of an Italian pantry from scratch.
Why are these Italian products offered at a waste-fighting price?
At Pazzini in Saint-Maur-des-Fosses, these products are perfectly good but pulled from regular sale: a best-before date that's approaching, surplus stock, end-of-line items, or slightly dented packaging. Rather than throwing them out, we bundle them into a surplus-rescue basket at a reduced price. You get a great deal, we cut food waste: everybody wins.
What is Tipo 00 flour and what is it used for?
Tipo 00 is an ultra-fine Italian wheat flour, graded on the Italian milling scale (00 being the most refined). It's THE go-to flour for Neapolitan pizza and fresh pasta: it makes a soft, stretchy dough that's easy to shape and bakes into a light, crisp crust. The one in this basket is organic and made specifically for homemade pizza.
What's the difference between San Marzano passata and peeled tomatoes?
San Marzano passata is a smooth, already-strained tomato puree, ready to simmer into a silky sauce. Peeled tomatoes (pelati) are whole tomatoes in juice that you crush yourself to the texture you want. Both are the backbone of Italian sauces: passata for a quick pizza sauce or fast marinara, pelati for a chunkier, more rustic sauce. Having both opens up the full range of Italian cooking.
How do I pick up my Italian Pantry Basket?
You reserve and pay for your basket online at Pazzini, then collect it in store in Saint-Maur-des-Fosses with your pickup code. Since rescued stock is limited and refreshed based on each day's surplus, it's best to reserve as soon as the basket is available: quantities go fast.
Does the Italian Pantry Basket keep well?
Yes, that's one of its big perks. The vinegar, flour, passata and peeled tomatoes are dry-goods and tinned staples that keep for several weeks to several months, depending on the dates on each package. The orange juice should be used sooner. Just check the dates on pickup and store your Italian pantry away from light and heat.
