Sauces in Emilia-Romagna’s cooking fall into three categories. There are the sauces created for a specific pasta, like those found in the pasta chapter. There is the sauce yielded in the cooking of a dish, like the sauce that comes from the slow braising of a chicken in wine and tomato. A third type is the sauce made to enrich, or to be the sole garnish of, a dish—these sauces are included in this chapter. Of these, Meat Essences is the ultimate enrichment. It is very much a creation of the last century, when mere spoonfuls of this concentration of meat juices and wine added character to many dishes. I have revived this old sauce base because it works the same magic on modern recipes. It plays a role in many pastas and main dishes in this book, and it is indispensable in Nino Bergese’s extraordinary risotto.
Tomato sauces play several roles in Emilia-Romagna’s cuisine, but the most important is as a dressing for pasta. Winter Tomato Sauce is full and deep-flavored, meant to make the most of canned tomatoes. The sauce of porcini mushrooms and tomato can be traced to Piacenza. Each of these recipes offers specific recommendations for the pastas and other foods that work best with them.
Good stock is essential to much of Emilia-Romagna’s cooking. The renowned Tortellini in Broth is one prime example, and most ragù sauces call for homemade stock Boiling stock down to a rich but fat-free concentrate produces a fine stand-in for butter in the simple sauces for Emilia-Romagna’s filled pastas like Cappellacci of Sweet Squash or Tortelli of Cabbage and Potatoes. A really full-flavored stock creates effortless pan sauces from roasts and sautés, as illustrated in Basil and Balsamic Veal Scallops and Lemon Roast Veal with Rosemary.
While French cooking may call for veal stock in one dish and chicken in another, Emilia-Romagna usually requires only one. But what a luscious stock it is. Traditionally the region’s brodo, or stock, comes from simmering capon and beef. Capon (substitutions are suggested in the recipe) makes a sweet delicate stock, while beef adds resonance and body. My own version requires almost no effort and achieves good flavor with the aid of a few simple tricks. Quick Stock is a bow to convenience, using a quick and easy method to improve on canned broth.
The recipes are extremely versatile. Don’t think of them solely for the dishes of Emilia-Romagna. Enjoy them as part of other recipes too.
Il Sugo di Carne
[Makes 4 cups]
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces lean pancetta, chopped
6 thin slices prosciutto, chopped
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 small carrot, thinly sliced
1 small stalk celery with leaves, thinly sliced
1 pound meaty veal neck bones or chopped breast of veal, trimmed of fat
1 pound chicken wings, chopped into small pieces
1½ to 2 pounds meaty beef neck bones, trimmed of excess fat
2 large California bay laurel leaves
6 whole cloves
1 cup dry red wine
3½ quarts Poultry/Meat Stock
2/3 cup drained canned tomatoes, crushed
2 small cloves garlic, crushed
Method Working Ahead: Meat Essences holds well 5 days, covered, in the refrigerator. It freezes up to 3 months.
Browning the Sauce: Divide the butter and oil between two large, heavy sauté pans. Spread a layer of half the pancetta and prosciutto in each pan. Then divide the onion, carrot, celery, veal, chicken wings, and beef between the pans. Set the pans over medium-high heat. Do not stir or cover until you can smell the onion browning and hear sizzling in each pan. This takes about 8 minutes. Lower the heat to medium.
Using a wooden spatula, turn the meats over and continue cooking 20 minutes, or until the pieces are deeply browned on all sides. Lower the heat if necessary to avoid burning the onion or the brown glaze forming on the bottoms of the pans.
Reducing: Stir in the bay leaves and cloves. Divide the wine between the two pans and let it bubble slowly, scraping up the brown glaze as the wine cooks down. Cook 8 to 10 minutes over medium heat until the wine has disappeared. Add 1 cup of the stock to each pan, and let it bubble slowly another 8 to 10 minutes, or until reduced to nothing. Stir frequently. Repeat twice more with 1 cup of stock each time for each pan. Make sure the stock is totally evaporated before adding the next cup.
Simmering and Finishing: Turn the contents of both pans into a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot. Stir in the remaining stock, along with the tomatoes and garlic. Adjust heat so the liquid is bubbling only occasionally. Partially cover. Cook 6 hours, stirring occasionally and adding more stock or water to keep the meat and bones barely covered. Strain the essences into a bowl, firmly pressing on the meat and vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible. Allow to cool; then cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, skim off all the fat from the surface, and refrigerate or freeze.
Cook’s Notes Do not substitute Quick Stock here or any other stock based on canned broth. Having the salt-free Poultry/Meat Stock enriched from its own long cooking as the base of the essence ensures the fullest, deepest flavor possible.
Salsa di Pomodoro Invernale
[Makes enough sauce for 1 recipe fresh pasta
or 1 pound dried pasta]
3 tablespoons fruity extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 small carrot, minced
1 small stalk celery with leaves, minced
3 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves, or 2 fresh sage leaves and ½-inch sprig fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon imported Italian tomato paste
2 pounds canned tomatoes with their liquid, or fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
Pinch of sugar (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method Working Ahead: The sauce can be made up to 4 days before serving. Cool, cover, and store in the refrigerator. Freeze the sauce up to 3 months.
Making the Sauce: Heat the oil over medium heat in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan. Drop in the minced vegetables and parsley. Slowly sauté, stirring often, 10 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
Add the garlic and herbs, and cook only 30 seconds. Blend in the tomato paste and the tomatoes, crushing them as they go into the pot. Bring the sauce to a lively bubble and keep it uncovered as you cook it over medium-high heat 8 minutes, or until thickened. Taste for seasoning.
Serving: Toss with freshly cooked pasta, and serve immediately with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. savoriness.
Suggestions Wine: A simple red like a young Sangiovese di Romagna, a red Corvo from Sicily, or a young Chianti Classico.
Menu: Serve over almost any pasta as a light main dish after the Salad of Tart Greens with Prosciutto and Warm Balsamic Dressing. Dessert could be Marie Louise Crescents or Baked Pears with Fresh Grape Syrup. When serving it with pasta as a first course, follow with Rabbit Roasted with Sweet Fennel or Porcini Veal Chops. Have Zabaione Jam Tart for dessert.
Cook’s Notes Tomatoes: Tomatoes vary greatly in quality. See A guide to Ingredients for information.
Piacenza’s Porcini Tomato Sauce
Salsa di Porcini con Pomodori
[Makes enough sauce for 1 recipe fresh pasta
or 1 pound dried pasta]
2 cups (2 ounces) dried porcini mushrooms
2 cups hot water
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
6 to 7 medium to large full-flavored, vine-ripened fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped, or 13 drained canned plum tomatoes, crushed
1¾ cups water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method Working Ahead: The sauce can be made up to 5 days ahead. Store it, covered, in the refrigerator.
Preparing the Porcini: Clean the mushrooms either by rinsing large pieces under cold running water or by dropping smaller pieces into a medium-size bowl filled with cold water. Swish them around vigorously for a few seconds. Then let the particles settle and remove the mushrooms. Repeat two more times, or until very few particles appear. Do not let the mushrooms soak in the cold water for more than about 20 seconds, or they will lose some of their flavor.
Cover the rinsed porcini with the hot water, and let them soak about 30 minutes. Lift them out of the liquid, squeezing not too vigorously to remove excess liquid. Chop and reserve. (The liquid can be strained through paper towels and frozen for later use.)
Making the Sauce: Heat the oil and butter in a 5- to 6-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, lower the heat to medium-low, and sauté 10 to 15 minutes, or until the onions are soft and clear. Stir in the garlic, porcini, tomatoes, and water. Bring to a gentle bubble. Partially cover, and cook 25 minutes, or until the mushrooms are very tender, the flavors have melded, and the sauce has thickened a little. If the sauce tastes weak, uncover and simmer another 5 to 10 minutes to intensify flavors. Season with salt and pepper.
Serving: Toss the hot sauce with freshly cooked pasta, and serve immediately with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Suggestions Wine: A soft, light red like a young Merlot from Friuli, Lombardy’s Groppello, or the Veneto’s Bardolino Classico.
Menu: Begin with Spring Salad with Hazelnuts or Hot Caramelized Pears with Prosciutto, serve the sauce with pasta as a light main dish, and finish with Cinnamon and Clove Custard. Also use the sauce over Piacenza’s Tortelli with Tails and Tortelli of Cabbage and Potato.
Cook’s Notes Variation: In the Apennine mountains above Parma, Borgotaro is famous for its porcini. There this sauce makes a Christmas Eve specialty, Pappardelle of the Vigil: 1 pound of cooked pappardelle is baked in a casserole with the porcini sauce and 4 ounces of Parmigiano-Reggiano or a mild, young sheep cheese.
Brodo
[Makes about 8 quarts]
2 to 3 pounds meaty beef shank or “soup” bones, trimmed of fat
8 to 9 pounds whole capon or turkey wings (or a combination), chopped into 3-inch pieces
3 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
3 large carrots, chopped
4 very large onions, unpeeled (trim away root ends), chopped
2 large California bay laurel leaves, broken
3 sprigs Italian parsley
2 large cloves garlic, unpeeled, crushed
Method Working Ahead: The stock holds, covered, in the refrigerator 3 to 4 days. Freeze it up to 4 months in different-size containers, from 2-tablespoon ice cubes to quart jars.
Starting the Stock: In one 20-quart or two 10-quart stockpots, combine the beef and poultry. Cover it with cold water by about 4 inches, and set over medium heat. Let the water come to a slow bubble. Skim off all foam rising to the surface.
Simmering: Add the vegetables, bay leaves, parsley, and garlic. Regulate the heat so the broth bubbles only occasionally (so you can say “one hundred” between bubbles). Partially cover, and cook 12 to 14 hours, skimming the fat from the surface every so often. If necessary, add boiling water to keep the solids covered.
The long cooking time surprises many. This extended simmering draws all the flavor from the meat and bones, producing a stock with exceptionally deep taste. You can start the stock after dinner and let it cook all night, partially covered, at a slow bubble. Make sure it is bubbling slowly, because leaving it below a bubble will cause spoilage. The next morning turn off the heat and strain the stock.
Finishing: Refrigerate the strained stock until fat hardens on the surface. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the fat. (In Emilia-Romagna one sign of a proper broth is luminous pin dots of fat called the “eyes” of the broth. Although never greasy, that tiny amount of fat gives flavor.) Pour into storage containers and refrigerate or freeze.
Cook’s Notes Garganelli in Broth: Serve 8 to 10 people a memorable first course by cooking a half recipe of garganelli pasta in 3 quarts Poultry/Meat Stock until it is tender but still firm to the bite. Ladle into heated soup dishes. Season with spoonfuls of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Porcini Tomato Soup: Made an easy soup by diluting Piacenza’s Porcini Tomato Sauce with 8 cups Poultry/Meat Stock. Simmer about 5 minutes, then serve in heated soup dishes. Pass a bowl of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Pan Sauces: Because it is salt-free and so intensely flavored, Poultry/Meat Stock boils down into a fine pan sauce, as in Basil and Balsamic Veal Scallops and Lemon Roast Veal with Rosemary.
Capon and Turkey Wings
This stock has many variations within Emilia-Romagna, but almost all call for capon with beef, or occasionally capon with veal. I worried about providing a recipe calling for capon, which is difficult to find in some parts of the United States. But when admiring the robust stock of Imola chef Valentino Marcattilii, I discovered that he used turkey wings instead of capon, and the problem was solved. In any recipe, poultry wings make fine stock as they are neither dark nor light meat but a blend of the two and particularly flavorful. So I offer you the choice. The stock is richer with the capon, and I like to use that version when making Tortellini in Broth Villa Gaidello or Anolini of Parma. But the turkey wing version is not a compromise; it is equally delicious.
Brodo Rapido
[Makes about 6 cups]
1 medium onion
Four 14½-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth, chilled
1 large stalk celery with leaves, coarsely chopped
½ large carrot, coarsely chopped
2 medium onions, unpeeled (trim away root ends), coarsely chopped
2 sprigs Italian parsley
1 large clove garlic, crushed
Generous pinch of dried basil
Method Working Ahead: You can hold Quick Stock, covered, in the refrigerator 3 to 4 days, or freeze it up to 3 months.
Making the Stock: Preheat the broiler, setting the oven rack as close as possible to the flame. Trim the root end from the first onion, but do not peel it. Cut it into 4 thick slices. Arrange them on a sheet of aluminum foil and slip it under the broiler. Broil 15 minutes, or until browned on both sides, turning once. Pour the broth into a 6-quart pot, and skim off the hardened fat. Add the broiled onion and all the remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the broth is bubbling slowly, cover tightly, and cook 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, and strain the stock. Use it right away, or allow it to cool, and then cover and refrigerate or freeze.
Store-Bought Wonders
Stock is the food writer’s nightmare. Good homemade stock makes dishes sing, but most readers have little time to prepare it. Canned stocks are always a compromise, even when enriched with vegetables and seasonings as in my Quick Stock. Bouillon cubes and sauce base pastes have no place in good cooking. Occasionally supermarkets and specialty food shops carry commercially made salt-free stocks of high quality. One such brand is Perfect Addition, a California-based company. Their Rich Stock—which comes in beef, veal, chicken, vegetable, and fish versions—is found in frozen food cases throughout the United States. For availability in your area, write to Perfect Addition, P.O. Box 8976, Newport Beach, CA 92658-8976, or telephone (714) 640-0220.
Iridi, pasta maker at Villa Gaidello