# Lesser-known Italian Pasta Sauces



## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

Hi Gang,

Over the years I've been collecting and using some less well-know Italian pasta sauces which have come to me from various sources - lemon sauces from the Amalfi coast, from restaurants, from friends, on line and from books. So, if you know of, or have, any interesting recipes, especially those that might be a local specialty, a local version of a more well known dish, or something that a particular restaurant might be noted for, I'd sure like to see them. Thanks!


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

Hi Shel, 
as you may guess, i have so many i've lost track of them. Some invented, some picked up here and there, some variations on things i've eaten, heard of, etc. I have lots of ones for non-tomato sauces. 
tell me what you mgiht like to get the recipe for
- aglio, olio, tonno
- cauliflower
- zucchine (3 different recipes- strips with scallion, grated with garlic, cubes with garlic)
- friarelli (broccoli rape? rapini? not sure how you call them there) with sausage
- odori di bosco (woodsy herbs tomato sauce)
- broccoli and pancetta
- caprese
- alla norma (tomato and eggplant)
- pummarola (fresh tomato and veg pureed)
- sausage and cream
- sausage and ricotta
- pasta with peas
- pasta e fagioli (beans)
- pasta e ceci (chickpeas)
not to mention some that are totally dependent on the kind of tomato - the tomato guy (mentioned in another post) has these "casalino" tomatoes, that are bumpy, that is, they have bulges top to bottom along various vertical axes, and are low and wide - you sautee garlic and oil, cut them crosswise and just cook 2 min on each side. 

then there are millions of amazing pasta dishes from certain areas, like sicily - i had one with fresh anchovies, raisins, pine nuts and bread crumbs - though i don't know the recipe, and the restaurant i had it in had dozens of unusual pasta dishes with fish, vegetables etc, and with surprising flavorings like fennel seeds. I'm not familiar with them, but could look them up.


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

Non tomato sauces are just fine. Had one recently - casio e pepe - that was quite nice, and I love oil based sauces, and those with chick peas or other beans and peas. Zucchini are always welcome (Do you know Spaghetti Maria Grazia, a specialty in the little town of Marina di Cantone?). Dishes with hot pepper and oil are great (there's one I make in which the pasta is cooked in water heavily infused with hot peppers and garlic), and I'd love to know more about using _friarelli_. I'm just now starting to look to using that vegetable. Tuna based sauce are of interest, lemon would be wonderful (only have two or three and I love lemon), as would, of course, tomato sauces (I have one with orange that's interesting - not made it in years). _Pummarola_ would be nice - I love vegetables. Really, anything you'd care to share would be welcome. Thanks!


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

Ok, here are a few, my favorites, 
*pasta with cauliflower*- believe it or not, many people who hate cauliflower like this. 
Separate the flowerlets of the cauliflower and the larger ones, cut lenghthwise in quarters (the stem needs to be no mroe than a quarter of an inch thick, maybe a little more) Wash. 
take a heavy frying pan. Film heavily with good olive oil. (extra virgin). Can be up to a 1/16 inch high. Add sliced garlic cloves, like three or four or five or even more, if the head of cauliflower is big. You can add hot pepper flakes or whole pepperoncini (dried red) or alternatively, use lots of black pepper. 
Add the cauliflower, and put on absolutely low heat - the idea is to "melt" the vegetable. It will gradually get softer and softer. Here you don;t want the al dente of well boiled cauliflower, but you want it to get quite soft so the flowers will sort of mush themselves on the pasta when you mix it. You can cover it for part of the time, depending on how tender they are to begin with. 
When it's cooked, cook your pasta (short pasta, penne, rigatoni, etc) and drain. Throw a couple of handfuls (or is it handsful) of parmigiano and toss, then toss with the cauliflower. really yummy, trust me.

*pasta with zucchine*
*1. *here you follow the same idea but cut the zucchine in cubes (that is, lengthwise and then across - about 1/2 inch pieces. 
do the same with garlic, etc. The zucchine get mushy faster.

*2. *grate the zucchine, salt and strain a bit. (depending if you like a bit of browning or not - good either way). Squash some garlic cloves (this cooks faster, so you have to crush the garlic) and sautee with the oil and garlic. When they;re soft, do the same with the cheese and the pasta.

*3. *shave the zucchine with a good sharp carrot peeler into flat strips. Cut some scallion greens lenghthwise abotu the length of the zucchine. You can also shave a carrot in the same way for color and a bit of sweetness. 
sautee in butter this time, sometimes i add a grated shallot. stir and sautee till tender. TYhis time cook fettuccine, about the same width as the zucchine strips. same deal with cheese and the veg

*pummarola*
put good ripe tomatoes (or canned) in a pot, add a stalk of celery, an onion, a couple of garlic cloves, a carrot cut in chunks and simmer till vegetables are cooked. Use a food mill or immersion blender or blender (but beware of spattering hot stuff, use only a little at a time) and blend it. Cook the pasta (any kind) and add parmigiano, the sauce and a "nut" of butter (walnut shape and size) and mix well.

*aglio olio tonno*
slice some garlic cloves, put in a small pot with a goodly amount of good olive oil, enough to cover the sliced cloves. cook slowly with some hot red pepper flakes or whole. Add a couple of anchovy fillets (here you can use the paste actually, since the anchovies will disintegrate anyway) and a couple of cans of tuna. Cook till it;s all heated and the anchovies are disintegrated. Some like the tuna to slightly take on a nutty brown color in parts. Put directly on the pasta and mix

enogh for today


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

Thanks for the recipes. You've posted the cauliflower recipe a couple of times before - it's a wnner! The tonno and pummarola look very nice. They're all good ... _grazie!_

Here's something for you. Got it from a fellow on another web site.

*Pesto alla Trapanese*

This is from Trapani, in western Sicily. It's bolder than Genoese pesto, and is uses the typical ingredients of Sicily.

500 g linguine 
2 - 3 cloves garlic 
4 nice ripe tomatoes from your tomato guy, peeled & seeded 
3/4 c shelled almonds 
3 oz fresh basil, leaves wiped with damp towel
extra virgin olive oil 
dried hot red pepper - any will do
salt
fresh mint, chopped fine

Put the garlic, a little salt and half of the basil in the food processor and whir around until it's creamy. Chop the tomatoes into small pieces and add them along with the almonds, a little oil and some pepper, and add the rest of the basil. Process until you get a nuce and satisfactory consistancy.

Cook the pasta, mix it with the sauce, and sprinkle with some mint.


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## chefcous (Aug 2, 2008)

i spent some time in southern sicily a few summers ago and one of the ragus that really struck me was a light citrus and tomato sauce with sea urchins. 

i dont know how many of you have eaten sea urchins, but they're pretty special and have a sweet defined flavour and a really interesting texture.

from what i can remember, the sauce was basically tomato, basil, lemon, rosmary, salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and then sea urchins, preumably the al dente pasta was just tossed in the pan with it.

but yeah... really amazing..

get your hands on some sea urchins if you can!!!

other than that, im not sure how authentic and italian this is, as its my recipe, but its delicious. penne with seared fillets of monkfish, and a lemon and mint butter...

if you turned marvin gaye's "sexual healing" into a pasta dish, that would be the outcome!


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## oregonyeti (Jun 16, 2007)

If it has to be Italian, then skip over this, but I loved it

An Iranian friend made a beef "stew" with a sauce that had carmelized celery and I think a touch of lemon juice. There were onions and parsley involved, too. He served it on egg noodles. It was yummy and very different from anything I had had. The carmelized celery was a dominant flavor.


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