Le Cinque Salse
the five sauces
our signature sauces elevate meals in the essence of authentic Italian food
Le Cinque Salse the five sauces our signature sauces elevate meals in the essence of authentic Italian food
The term ‘Italian’ used in relation to food would in fact mean very l i t t l e t o m o s t I t a l i a n s . To t h e m there is Florentine cooking, Ve n e t i a n c o o k i n g , t h e re a re the dishes of Genoa, Piedmont, Romagna; of Rome, Naples, and the Abruzzi; of Sardinia and Sicily; o f L o m b a r d y, U m b r i a , a n d t h e Adriatic coast. United Italy was created only in 1861, and not only have the provinces retained their own t r a d i t i o n s o f c o o k e r y, b u t m a n y o f their products remain localized. Elizabeth David British cookery writer
Contents FARE UN ANTIPASTO
make an appetizer
FARE UN PIATTO PRINCIPALE
make a main course
Crostini con crema di carciofi 4 Toasted bread topped with artichoke cream Pasta fresca con pesto 10 Fresh pasta with pesto Salmone alla griglia con pesto 16 Broiled salmon with pesto sauce Bavette con salsa verde 20 Flank steak with salsa verde Pollo con salsa verde 24 Chicken with salsa verde
FARE UN DOLCE
make a dessert
Biscotti con sanguinaccio 26 Italian cookies dipped in sanguinaccio and pignoli nutes Amaretti con zabaglione 32 Italian almond cookie with zabaglione cream
Liguria, Italia
Liguria is a culture of hard-working, fun-loving uniquely detail-oriented artists and craftsmen who thrive on creating and consuming hearty, soul-satisfying foods.
sugo di carciofi Liguria
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Crostini literally means “little toasts” in Italian and they are Italian appetizers or tapas consisting of flavorful toppings.
CROSTINI CON CREMA DI CARCIOFI Toasted bread topped with artichoke cream
Total Time: 45 min | Prep: 20 min | Cook: 15 min | Yield: 12 crostini
Ingredients
Directions
bread (thin sliced rounds) prosciutto shaved parmesan cheese sliced artichoke hearts parsley leaves to garnish olive oil for the bread
1 To make the crostini, preheat the oven to 375° F. 2 Brush the bread slices with the olive oil and arrange them on a baking sheet. Bake them until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let them cool to room temperature. 3 Spread the crema di carciofi evenly on the tops of the crostini. 4 Top the crostini with prosciutto, shaved Parmesan, a sliver of artichoke and a parsley leaf for garnish. 5 Serve immediately or place covered in the fridge for ten minutes before serving. They should be eaten within an hour of preparing.
Sicilia, Italia
Located in the warm Mediterranean waters right off the toe of Southern Italy’s “boot”: a jeweled crown of mountains and hills that provide excellent locations for growing a wide variety of food products.
pesto trapanese Sicilia
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The word “pesto” comes from the Italian verb pestare which means to crush, to trample, to pound. It can be made with a mortar and pestle.
PASTA FRESCA CON PESTO Fresh Pasta with Pesto
Total Time: 1 hr 5 min | Prep: 20 min | Cook: 45 min | Yield: 1 pound of pasta
Ingredients
Directions
3 1/2 cups flour 4 extra-large eggs
1 Make a well. Weigh out your flour and pour it onto your surface in a pile. Then, with your fingers, make a hole in the center. You’ll want it to be relatively wide—at least four inches—to accommodate all those eggs. Now add your eggs to the center. 2 Using a fork or your fingertips, gradually start pushing the flour into the pool of egg. The dough will be wet and sticky, but holding together as a single mass. 3 Once the dough feels firm and dry, and can form a craggy looking ball, it’s time to start kneading the dough. Simply press the heel of your hand into the ball of dough, pushing forward and down. Rotate the ball 45 degrees and do it again. You’ll want to keep going until the dough no longer looks powdery. 4 Once you have your ball of kneaded dough, wrap it tightly in plastic. It’s time to talk resting. The resting period, about two hours, allows the flour to continue to hydrate, and the gluten network to relax.
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5 Cut your dough into four pieces, set one aside, and wrap up the rest. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to at least half an inch thick. Try to keep the shape and size relatively even from end to end. 6 Then, turn to your pasta maker. For this stage, you’ll want the flat roller—the ones with teeth come later. Turn it to the widest setting (on most machines, it’s labeled either “0” or “1”). If you’re using a stand mixer attachment, turn it to a medium-low speed. You’ll want to gently support the exiting end with the flat of your hand or your index finger. Send it through the first setting until it passes through without resistance—at least three times. Then turn the dial to the next setting: pressing your pasta even thinner. You’ll want to pass the dough through the rollers at least two or three times for each of the first three settings. Later settings will only require one or two passes, though. 7 Dust some flour onto parchment or wax paper, lay the pasta on top, and continue to sprinkle flour as you fold it over. 8 Feed a 12- to 14-inch section of dough through the fettuccine- or linguine-cutter and catch it as it comes out. Dust it with flour, and curl it up into little nests. If, for any reason, your pasta winds up sticking to itself, just ball it back up and start over. 9 Now as for cooking the pasta: boil up some salted water and toss those noodles in. They’ll cook quickly, so be ready to taste and drain them almost immediately. That said, while fresh pasta cooks rapidly, it’s important to make sure that it’s thoroughly cooked. Unlike dry pasta, it actually gets slightly firmer during the first phase of cooking. Just don’t exceed two minutes—that’s when it starts to get mushy.
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Pesto sauce can be paired with a Chianti wine, from Tuscany. The flavor profiles from there two Italian regions meld well together.
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SALMONE ALLA GRIGLIA CON PESTO Broiled salmon with pesto
Total Time: 40 min | Prep: 10 min | Cook: 15 min | Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
Directions
2 pound of salmon fillets 2 lemons 1 1/2 cups pesto 1/2 cup white wine
1 Lightly oil a baking pan large enough to accommodate the fish. Place salmon in pan skin side down. 2 Squeeze juice of one lemon and white wine over fish. Marinate 15 minutes. 3 Preheat broiler. 4 Coat the top side of the fish with thick layer of pesto. It should be between an 1/8th to a 1/4 of an inch thick, and cover the surface of the fish. 5 Place fish under the broiler about nine inches from heat source. Broil for 8 to 10 minutes per inch of thickness, or until fish flakes and flesh is opaque. 6 Remove from the oven, and set aside for a few minutes. Squeeze half of second lemon over fish.
Lombardia, Italia
Culinary influences of Lombardia are quite diverse, because of its wildly varied terrain and long history of influence by nearby and/or conquering nations (Lombardy takes it’s name from the barbarian rulers, the Lombards.)
salsa verde Lombardia
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HISTORY: ”Salsa verde” meant “green sauce” in Italian. It is a perfect summer sauce: it adds a refreshing burst of flavor to many summer dishes.
BAVETTE CON SALSA VERDE Flank Steak with Salsa Verde
Total Time: 30 min | Prep: 15 min | Cook: 10 min | Yield: 4 servings
Directions
Ingredients 1 flank steak (about 1 1/2 pounds) 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil freshly ground pepper 2 medium tomatoes Kosher salt
1 Preheat a grill to high or place a grill pan over high heat. 2 Pierce the steak all over with a fork and season with salt and pepper. Oil the grill or pan; grill the steak, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare, turning once. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. 3 Slice the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Thinly slice the steak against the grain. Serve with the tomatoes and salsa verde on top.
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Around the world, the recipe for salsa verde has evolved to include different herbs, like mint, tarragon or oregano, which are not originally part of tradition.
POLLO CON SALSA VERDE Fresh Pasta with Pesto
Total Time: 35 min | Prep: 10 min | Cook: 25 min | Yield: 4 to 6 servings Ingredients 4 chicken breasts and thighs Kosher salt freshly ground black pepper
Special equipment: 2 large cast-iron or other heavy skillets; 2 bricks wrapped in foil
Directions 1 Heat a charcoal or gas grill to a mediumlow temperature. 2 Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. 3 Line up the chickenskin-side down on the grill and lay a piece of foil on top to cover. Set a heavy skillet on top of the breasts and a second skillet atop the thighs. Weight each skillet with a foil-wrapped brick. 4 Cover the grill and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes. 5 Remove the bricks, skillets and foil and set aside. Flip the chicken and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. 6 Cut each breast through the bone into 3 or 4 pieces and transfer to a platter along with the whole thighs. 7 Drizzle the chicken with some salsa verde. Serve the remaining salsa verde on the side.
Calabria, Italia
Calabria’s flavors are an amalgam of delight - sometimes unexpected - flavor combinations emerges. Pig’s blood and chocolate. Artichokes stuffed with mint. The process has been evolutionary: fusing the basic with the indulgent.
sanguinaccio Calabria
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Late winter is when pigs are slaghtered in the countryside. When a family kills the pig, it is a celebration and feasting, resulting in this delicacy.
BISCOTTI CON SANGUINACCIO
Italian cookies dipped in sanguinaccio and pignoli nuts
Total Time: 1 hr 5 min | Prep: 20 min | Cook: 45 min | Yield: 3 to 4 dozen Ingredients
Directions
1/2 cup vegetable oil 3 eggs 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon anise extract 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder pignoli nuts
1 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. 2 In a medium bowl, beat together the oil, eggs, sugar and anise flavoring until well blended. Combine the flour and baking powder, stir into the egg mixture to form a heavy dough. 3 Divide dough into 2 pieces. Form each piece into a roll as long as your cookie sheet. Place roll onto the prepared cookie sheet, and press down to 1/2-inch thickness. 4 Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack. When the cookies are cool enough to handle, slice each 1 crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Place the slices cut side up back onto the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 6 to 10 minutes on each side. Cookie slices should be lightly toasted. 5 Dipped the cookies in the sanguinaccio and top with pignoli nuts.
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Lazio, Italia
Historically the powerful center for a great empire, Lazio has developed food that is great example of how the simple dishes of the poor working classes (farmers, miners, craftsmen) have informed and influenced the cuisine of the upper classes.
zabaglione Lazio
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Giovan Paolo Baglioni, a fierce Italian warlord who, during the late 15th century, fed his troops a “soup� made of eggs and wine.
AMARETTI CON ZABAGLIONE Italian almond cookie with zabaglione cream
Total Time: 3 hr 50 min | Inactive: 3 hr 30 min | Cook: 10 min | Yield: 4 servings Ingredients
Directions
3 cups blanched slivered almonds 3 egg whites 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1 teaspoon almond extract
1 Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. 2 In a food processor, grind the almonds into a fine meal. 3 Add the sugar and continue to process for another 15 seconds. 4 Finally, add egg whites and almond extract, continue to process until a smooth dough forms around the blade. 5 Using a teaspoon, place well rounded spoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheets. Cookies should be at least 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Cookies should be golden. 6 Allow cookies to cool completely on the paper before removing. Store in a dry place.