Lesser-known Italian Pasta Sauces

[Shel_B]

Over the years I've been collecting and using some less well-know Italian pasta sauces which have come to me from various sources - from restaurants, from friends, on line, from books, and other sources. 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!

shel

[Jack Fisher]

Great idea, give us an example or two of some of the sauces you have found.

[Andrew Fenton]

Pesto alla trapanese, with tomatoes and almonds (and no cheese). I much prefer it to the Genoese variety, actually.

[Shel_B]

Great idea, give us an example or two of some of the sauces you have found.

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There's Spaghetti Indiavolati in which the spaghetti is cooked in water that has been heavily infused with garlic and hot chile peppers. The garlic and peppers are ground up in hot water, added to the pasta water, and after a while the solids are strained out and then the pasta is cooked in the infused water. After the pasta is drained, dress with a nice extra virgin olive oil (a peppery one might be nice) and fresh grated parm, maybe sprinkle some parsley on it for a bit of color ...

shel

[Shel_B]

Pesto alla trapanese, with tomatoes and almonds (and no cheese).  I much prefer it to the Genoese variety, actually.

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Thanks so much, Andrew. Coincidentally, I came across a version of that about a week or so back. Not made it yet. Your version has the peppers which was not in the version I found.

Thanks!

shel

[markabauman]

Something I made this past weekend-probably Sicilian inspired, but might be an adaptation of a recipe I might have seen somewhere:

Sauteed some sliced red onion, then garlic, added some chopped fillets of anchovies, then pepperoncini. Had already cut up a head of cauliflower into florets; parboiled then cooled. At this point, add to pan and saute the florets. Added currants (dried, soaked in water to reconstitute-but could use raisins), toasted pignoli, then the cooked al dente pasta (sometimes use bucatini/perciatelli, but this time just used regular spaghetti, which worked fine). Mixed some saffron with a little of the pasta cooking water and added to pan. Topped with mollica (toasted bread crumbs, sauteed in olive oil in which a little crushed garlic was added for a few minutes, then removed. No cheese.