Italian food is not sauced up as in French cuisine; the sauces are either inherent to the dish or simple accompaniments to add zest to the food rather than to mask it. Especially in popular regional cooking the sauces are not elegant in nature, being piquant rather than rich with butter, cream and eggs. Oil and lemon juice combine in the most popular of all sauces; capers, anchovies, herbs, nuts and the like serve as additions. Above all, lemon juice must not be missing; on Italian steak or meats, it takes the place of Béarnaise sauce.
Contrary to the practice of many American-Italian restaurants, not all Italian food is doused in tomato sauce. Even in southern Italy, where tomato sauce figures prominently in regional cookery, it is used with a good deal of discretion. It is used very little in northern Italian cooking, where the tomato sauces are also lighter than those of the South.
A number of sauces are found in the chapters on Pasta, Rice, Polenta and Dumplings, with the dish of which each is a component, and other sauces follow those chapters in a chapter of their own. All are listed under sauces in the index.
Salsa per Insalate al Vino Bianco from Tuscany
For vegetable salads, green and mixed salads, and seafood.
¾ cup dry white wine
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup white-wine vinegar (preferably tarragon vinegar)
¼ cup grated onion
½ garlic clove, mashed
salt
freshly ground pepper
sprinkle of any preferred herb
Combine all the ingredients and blend thoroughly. Use while foods to be dressed are still hot.
Salsa Semplice con i Capperi All-Italian
For fish and seafood, plain meats and cooked vegetables.
½ cup olive oil
juice of 1 large lemon
½ cup drained capers
freshly ground pepper
dash of Tabasco
Combine olive oil, lemon juice and capers and mix well. Season with pepper to taste and stir in the Tabasco.
Bagna Cauda from Piedmont
A famous Piedmontese sauce used as a dip for raw vegetables such as celery, peppers, carrot strips, and cauliflowerets. A chafing dish is practical for this sauce which must be kept hot, but must never boil.
½ cup (¼ pound) butter
¼ cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced very thin, or garlic to taste
6 anchovy fillets, drained and chopped
1 small white truffle, cut into thin slices (optional)
Heat butter and olive oil in a chafing dish or a small shallow pan that can go to the table. Add the garlic. Cook over very low heat for 5 minutes, or until garlic is soft; it must not brown, nor must the mixture boil. Remove from the heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the anchovies; return sauce to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until anchovies have dissolved into the sauce. Add the truffle slices and serve hot.
NOTE: Keep the sauce hot at the table on a candle-warmer, an electric hotplate or a fondue heating unit.
Salsa Verde Piccante All-Italian
The consistency of a sauce is a matter of personal preference; the egg and/or the walnut make a thicker sauce. Serve with hot or cold fish and seafood, with cooked vegetables such as artichokes, cauliflower and broccoli, and with broiled or boiled meats.
2 cups parsley leaves, without stems, tightly packed, or 1 cup parsley leaves, without stems, tightly packed, and 1 cup watercress leaves, tightly packed
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 teaspoons dried basil, or 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh basil
2 teaspoons anchovy paste, or 2 anchovy fillets, minced (optional)
1 hard-cooked egg, chopped (optional)
⅓ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
¾ cup olive oil
juice of 2 large lemons
salt
freshly ground pepper
Put the parsley, or parsley and watercress, into a bowl. Add enough boiling water to cover; let stand for 2 minutes. Drain and place in a blender container. Add all the other ingredients. If you are using anchovy paste, go easy on the salt. Blend at low speed until thoroughly mixed. If the mixture appears to be too thick, add a little more olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time. Chill before using.
Salsa per Verdure Lessate All-Italian
One of the simplest and best sauces for cooked vegetables and boiled fish.
In the serving dish in which the vegetable will be served, beat together 2 egg yolks, the juice of 1 large lemon, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the drained hot vegetables and toss. If the sauce looks too thick, beat 1 or 2 tablespoons of the vegetable cooking liquid into it. If the sauce is to be used for fish, beat the ingredients in a bowl. Place the fish on a serving platter and pour the sauce over it.
Salsa di Olio, Mandorle e Limone per il Pesce Bollito from Sicily
12 blanched almonds, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
Put almonds, garlic, salt and lemon juice into a blender container. Whirl at slow speed; while the blender is whirling, slowly pour in the olive oil. Blend until smooth.
Salsa di Funghi All-Italian
1 tablespoon chopped onion
2 tablespoons parsley heads without stems
½ cup chopped prosciutto or lean bacon
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
½ pound mushrooms, sliced thin
1 tablespoon flour
1 small tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped, or 2 canned plum tomatoes, drained
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup chicken or beef bouillon
salt
freshly ground pepper
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Combine onion, parsley and prosciutto on chopping board. Chop and mince together so that ingredients are well blended and pasty. Heat olive oil and butter. Cook prosciutto mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. Lower heat to low and stir in flour. Add tomato, wine, bouillon, salt and pepper to taste and thyme. Simmer without a cover for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
Salsa Sarmoriglio from Sicily
Used on roasts, it is also good for boiled fish and seafood and cooked vegetables.
1 cup olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons minced parsley
½ teaspoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons hot water
salt
freshly ground pepper
dash of Tabasco (optional)
Combine oil, lemon juice, parsley and oregano in the top part of a double boiler and beat together. Add the hot water and beat until the sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in Tabasco. Heat the sauce over, not in, hot water. When it is very hot, pour it over slices of roast lamb, veal or chicken or freshly cooked vegetables such as broccoli and green beans. Serve immediately.
Salsetta ai Peperoni from Puglia
For broiled fish and seafood, meats and fowl.
2 very large green, red or yellow sweet peppers, or 4 medium-size peppers
1 medium-size onion
½ to ⅔ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon mild vinegar or lemon juice, or to taste
salt
freshly ground pepper
To peel the peppers, place them over high heat, directly on the burners, until the skin is black and blistered. Turn peppers frequently so that the skin will cook on all sides. Under running cold water, using your fingers and a paring knife, peel and scrape off the blistered and blackened outer skin. Trim the peppers free of seeds and membranes and dry them well with kitchen paper. Chop together the peppers and the onion until bits are the size of peas. Add olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste; mix well.