Sauces, Pestos, and Condiments
Sweet fresh tomatoes, cooked with a carrot and an onion in butter, become the perfect all-purpose sauce to serve on pasta, polenta, pizza, eggs, or vegetables.
Though I don’t bother with a lot of kitchen gadgets, I do recommend investing in a food mill. Sure, a blender or food processor can puree a sauce, but the food mill goes one step further and separates the skins and seeds—which makes it unnecessary to peel and seed the tomatoes before cooking.
Makes about 3 cups
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large heavy saucepan. Add the carrot and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes are soft and the sauce has thickened, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Pass the sauce through a food mill or puree it in a food processor or blender. Reheat gently and correct the seasoning.
Just before serving, stir in the basil.
When summer comes and fresh tomatoes are at their best, I’m captivated by all the different kinds I find at my local farmers’ market. I can’t resist trying all of the heirloom varieties, from chocolate brown to striped green to sunny yellow. And I usually buy way too many: pear shape, round, big, and small. That’s when I make this easy sauce by tossing them all together and roasting them until tender. The sauce is a little different every time, but it’s always wonderful.
Toss with pasta, or slather on grilled bread for an easy appetizer.
Makes about 3 cups
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Oil a 13-×-9-×-2-inch baking dish.
Toss the tomatoes, garlic, salt to taste, red pepper, and oil in the baking dish. Spread the tomatoes out evenly. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the tomatoes are lightly browned.
Just before serving, sprinkle the tomatoes with the basil and toss well.
The height of summer, when tomatoes are their ripest, is the time to make this simple sauce, called salsa crudaiola in Italy. Serve it on pasta, toasted bread, grilled eggplant or mushrooms, hard-cooked eggs—the possibilities are endless.
Makes 2½ cups
Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and remove the cores. Squeeze out the seeds. Chop the tomatoes and place in a bowl.
Add the basil, oil, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste to the tomatoes and stir well. (The sauce can stand at room temperature for up to 1 hour.)
When my husband and I return from our travels and are craving some home cooking, I prepare this sauce. Fresh tomatoes are my first choice, but when they are not available, I make it with canned Italian tomatoes. Buy the best ones you can find, since good imported tomatoes, which are packed when they are ripe, cook up sweet and never need added sugar.
For a smoother sauce, pass the tomatoes through a food mill before adding them to the pot.
Makes 2½ cups
In a large saucepan, cook the garlic and red pepper in the oil over medium heat until the garlic is golden but not browned, about 4 minutes. Discard the garlic.
Add the tomatoes, with their juice, and mash them with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Add salt to taste, bring to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened.
Just before serving, stir in the basil.
Pizzaiola Sauce: Finely chop the garlic, and cook for just a minute or two. Do not discard. Add 1 teaspoon dried oregano along with the tomatoes.
Sweet grape and cherry tomatoes are available year-round, so you don’t have to wait for summer to enjoy this sauce. Spread it on crostini or toss it with pasta.
Makes 3 cups
In a large saucepan, cook the garlic with the red pepper in the oil over medium heat until golden on all sides, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and salt to taste and cook, stirring occasionally and crushing the tomatoes with a spoon, until the tomatoes are softened and the sauce is thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.
Just before serving, discard the garlic and stir in the basil.
Sun-dried tomatoes heighten the flavor of this sauce. It is delicious on pasta, as a dip for crudités, or as a sauce for cooked vegetables.
Makes 1 cup
Place the sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl with hot water to cover and let stand for 10 minutes, or until softened. Drain and pat dry.
In a food processor or blender, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, garlic, and parsley and chop fine. Add the oil and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.
The simple addition of a tangy cheese like Gorgonzola gives this sauce an extra flavor dimension. Added at the end of cooking, the cheese melts into the sauce and turns it creamy. Serve over fettuccine.
Makes 2½ cups
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until tender and golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
Pass the tomatoes, with their juice, through a food mill to remove the seeds, or squeeze out the seeds and puree in a food processor or blender. Pour the tomatoes into the saucepan, bring to a simmer, and cook until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Cut the cheese into chunks and scatter them over the sauce. Let soften for 1 minute, then stir well, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.
This olive and pine nut pesto is so good that I can just eat it with a spoon. Since, unlike fresh basil pesto, it’s prepared with pantry ingredients, you can make it year-round. Toss it with spaghetti or spread it on toast.
Chop the ingredients carefully. For the best texture, don’t puree it to a paste.
Makes 1 cup
In a food processor, coarsely chop the pine nuts and parsley. Add the olives and capers and chop fine. Add the red pepper and oil and pulse to mix.
Let stand for at least 1 hour before serving. (The pesto can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
Pistachio nuts are a great source of pride in Sicily. They are used in pastries and gelato and also in savory dishes.
This beautiful green sauce combines the freshness of herbs with the crunch of pistachios and the earthiness of garlic. Serve it on grilled chicken or fish, cooked green beans, hard-cooked eggs, or sliced tomatoes. For a quick appetizer, spread crostini with mascarpone or goat cheese and top with the pesto.
Makes ½ cup
In a food processor, pulse the parsley, basil, and garlic until finely chopped. Add the pistachios and coarsely chop. Add ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. With the machine running, add the oil. Taste for seasoning.
Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. (The pesto can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to 3 days; let come to room temperature before serving.)
When I visited the Fattoria Montagliari winery in Panzano in Tuscany many years ago, Signor Giovanni Minuccio Cappelli shared this sauce recipe with me—one of many historic ones he had gathered from his family’s archives. I particularly like it as a sauce for cold roasted chicken or green beans.
Makes 1 cup
In a food processor, pulse the parsley, basil, and garlic until finely chopped. Add the walnuts and coarsely chop. Add ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. With the machine running, add the oil. Taste for seasoning.
Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. (The pesto can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving.)
The largest of the Aeolian Islands, located off the coast of Sicily, Lipari has beautiful beaches and is famous as a summer resort. It gets awfully hot there, and this light uncooked sauce is a local specialty. Toss with pasta or serve on grilled fish or boiled potatoes.
Makes 1½ cups
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Drop half of the tomatoes into the boiling water and cook for 30 seconds. Scoop out and place in the cold water. Repeat with the remaining tomatoes.
Drain the tomatoes and cut them lengthwise in half. Slip off the skins and squeeze out the seeds. Coarsely chop the tomatoes.
In a food processor, pulse the garlic and nuts until finely ground. Add the basil, tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste and process to blend. With the machine running, drizzle in the oil.
Serve at room temperature.
When I received a jar of sweet onion marmalade as a gift, I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it at first. It was dark purplish brown, and it was sweet, tart, and a little spicy. The label suggested it as a condiment for a sharp aged cheese. I loved it, and soon my husband and I were enjoying it with salami as an appetizer, as a dressing for panini, and on grilled cheese crostini.
Soon the jar was empty, I decided to make my own. This recipe is the result.
Makes about 1 cup
In a medium skillet, combine the onions, water, and salt, cover, and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, or until the onions are softened.
Stir in the brown sugar and vinegar, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very dark and soft and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes. If the vinegar evaporates before the onions are cooked, add a spoonful of warm water. Once the onions are very tender, uncover and cook for a few minutes more, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the red pepper. Let cool.
Scrape the marmalade into an airtight container, cover, and refrigerate. (The marmalade can be refrigerated for up to 1 month.)
Mostarda is a sweet and spicy condiment, similar to chutney, made from fruits flavored with mustard seeds. The tiny seeds add a tangy pop of flavor. For the famous mostarda di Cremona, a variety of fruits such as clementines, cherries, and figs are preserved in a clear syrup. One fruit I have never seen used in Italy is cranberries, which, with their sweet-tartness, seem to be an ideal choice. If they even exist there, they are certainly not very common.
With that in mind, I came up with this Italo-American mostarda made with cranberries and dried figs. It’s wonderful at the holiday season with roast turkey, pork, or other meats. Or serve it with fresh goat cheese or some salami for an appetizer. It’s the perfect dressing for those day-after-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches. Packed into a pretty jar, it makes a nice gift.
Makes about 3½ cups
Combine the cranberries, figs, sugar, and orange juice in a large saucepan, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the cranberries pop.
Add the mustard seeds and mustard paste, stir well, and cook for 5 minutes more. Let cool.
Scrape the mostarda into an airtight container, cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving. (The mostarda can be refrigerated for at least 2 weeks.)
Homemade jam is a real treat, but I used to avoid it because I thought it would take hours and require special equipment. Then an Italian friend told me that the secret is making small batches.
This fig jam is a perfect example. It makes just one pint and can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. It’s a delight on toasted Italian bread with butter for breakfast or with bread and toasted walnuts in a cheese course.
Makes 1 pint
Place the figs in a saucepan with the sugar, lemon juice, and zest and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the juices begin to simmer. As the figs soften, crush them slightly with a potato masher or sturdy wire whisk. Continue to cook until the juices thicken slightly and are reduced, about 40 minutes.
To test the jam for doneness, drop some of the juice on a chilled plate and let cool slightly. Tilt the dish—the jam should run only slightly.
When the jam is ready, remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool.
Spoon the jam into jars or plastic freezer containers and cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.