Marinara
Thisis a richtomatosaucemadewith
tomatopulp,garlicandoregano.Some
puristsmaydisagreehere,butweadd
sautéedonionforextraflavour.Chop
½smallonionintoveryfinediceand
fryina fewtablespoonsofextra-virgin
oliveoiloverlowheat,stirring,untilvery
tender.Adda coupleoffinelyminced
garlicclovesandstiruntilfragrant,then
addabout400gmtomatopulp(youcan
usefreshtomatoesinseason,butwe
alsoloveMuttiPolpafinelychopped
tomatoes).Simmerthesauceuntilit
is thickenedtoyourliking,thenthrow
insomefinelychoppedoreganoand
seasontotaste.Thissauceis greatwith
spaghettiandgratedparmesan,butyou
canalsoaddanchovyfilletsforgood
measure.Capers,olives,chilliandfried
eggplantgowell,too,orspoonthesauce
ontopofschnitzelsfora parmigiana.Aglio e olio
Oliveoilandgarlicarea perfectmatch.
Forclassicaglioe olio,choosegood-
qualityoliveoilandgentlywarmit
ina panoverlowheat,thenthrowin
someverythinlyslicedgarlicand
stiruntilthegarlicis fragrantandsoft.Keepingtheheatlowis thekey;garlicwill
turnbitterif it brownstoomuch,and
you’lllosetheintegrityoftheoil.Add
somechilliflakestofinish,if youlike,
thenremovefromtheheatimmediately.
Tossthisfragrantoilthroughlong
pastawitha littlestarchypastawaterto
transformit intoa beautifulsauce.Extra
pointsfortoppingit withpickedcrabmeat.Herbsand nuts
Allyouneedtomakepestois herbsand
nuts.ThetraditionalLigurianpesto,
ofcourse,is simplybasil,pinenuts,garlic,
parmesanandoliveoil,poundedwith
a mortarandpestle.Whilethisis an
excellentwaytouseupanyextrabasil
fromthegardeninsummer,making
pestolendsitselftoexperimentation.
Fora springvariation,blenda few
handfulsofmintwitha handfulof
walnuts,a garlicclove,thejuiceof
halfa lemonanda goodglugofextra-
virginoliveoilwitha hand-heldblender.
Servewithlinguineorangelhairpasta,
orwithroastedseasonalvegetables.Salsa
A salsacanaddvibrancyandtextureto
anydish,andit onlyinvolveschopping
upsomefreshproduce.Dicingfresh
tomatoesis a goodstartingpointfora
traditionalsalsa.Chopcherrytomatoes
intoquarters,douseinoliveoiland
a splashofwhitewinevinegar,then
combinewithcapers,finelychopped
springonionanda choppedanchovy
filletortwo,andfinishwithsomethinly
slicedflat-leafparsleyandchives.For
somethingdifferent,combinelemon
juice,oliveoil,thinlyslicedzucchini
flowersandmint,anda touchofgarlic.
Salsais greatinMexicandishes,with
cornchipsorspoonedovergrilledfish.Wine-based
Reducingwhitewinewithshallotsis
a greatwaytoadddepthofflavourto
a pastasauce,sopouryourselfa glassand
splasha goodamountintoa saucepan.
Addsomethinlyslicedgoldenshallots
andsimmeruntilreducedbyabout
a halftoallowtheboozetoevaporate
andtheflavourtomellow.Throwin
a couplehandfulsofclamsorfinish
thereductionwithcrèmefraîche,
freshherbs,grilledspringvegetables
andfinelygratedlemonzest.Serve
tossedthroughfreshfettuccini. Addthesesaucestoyourfavouritepasta
dishorproteinforaquickweeknightmeal.
Classic sauces
Hacks
WORDS & STYLING LISA FEATHERBY. PHOTOGRAPHY ROB SHAW. ALL PROPS STYLIST’S OWN.
GOURMET TRAVELLER 45