A simple sauce provides contrast that enhances flavor or adds flavors a food lacks. A complex sauce, like a good wine, can fill the mouth and nose with sensations and provide a rich background into which the flavor of the food itself blends.
Sauces can be used on meat, chicken, fish, vegetables, pasta, rice and potatoes. I use sauces to tie a few ingredients together to create a meal. When the garden is producing I consider what is most abundant and then build from there. We often have an abundance of greens and peas in the early part of summer so I make pasta dishes. Using a short pasta like shells, farfalla or rotini cook them to within two minutes of “al dente” and then add freshly shelled peas and greens that have been washed and roughly chopped—these vegetables will cook very quickly. Drain the pasta an veggies and put them into a large warm bowl. Add a recipe of the basic wine sauce. Stir in freshly grated parmigiano, sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve immediately! A fast fresh healthy meal made for pennies.
Basic Wine Sauce
2 TB EVOO (or butter)
2 garlic cloves, minced finely
1 sm. Shallot, minced finely or a small onion
½ c. white wine
½ c. chicken stock
2 TB butter
3 TB fresh Italian parsley, minced
In a sauté pan over med. heat, warm the oil, add the shallots and cook for a few minutes until they start to turn translucent. Add the garlic and as soon as it is fragrant (30 sec. or so) add the wine. Raise the heat and cook until the wine has reduced a bit. Add the stock and cook until reduced by half, or until the desired flavor and consistency is reached. Remove from the heat and add the butter, just swirling the pan to combine. This will thicken the sauce somewhat. After the butter has melted add the herbs. Taste and adjust for salt.
This is one if my secret weapons--I always have the ingredients on hand so I can whip this up in less than 15 minutes for unexpected company. On nights that I am exhausted but hungry this is my go-to meal. This recipe can be really elevated by using fresh basil, when in season, and fresh clams in the shell!
Clam Pesto
2 TB EVOO
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ c. white wine
2 cans minced clams and their juice
1 TB dried basil
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 tsp black pepper
2 TB butter
¼ c. fresh Italian parsley, coarsely minced
1 TB salt
1 lb angel hair pasta
Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
In a large sauté pan warm the EVOO over med. heat. Add the garlic and cook about 30 sec., or until fragrant. Add the wine, raise the heat and reduce a bit. Add the clams and their juice, basil, pepper flakes and black pepper. Simmer until reduced to the desired consistency.
As soon as you add the clams to the sauce, add the salt to the large pot of boiling water and add the pasta. Stir it to circulate the pasta and set the timer for 4 min.
When clam sauce has reduced, add the butter and lower the heat. As soon as the pasta is “al dente” pull it out with tongs and add it directly into the simmering sauce. Stir to combine and remove from the heat. Add the parsley and slip the pasta into a large warm bowl. Dress with parmigiano cheese and a drizzle of EVOO. Serve immediately into warmed bowls. Buon appetito!
Tangy Mustard Sauce
2 TB EVOO
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
½ c. white wine
½ c. chicken stock
2 TB Dijon mustard
2 TB maple syrup
1 tsp rosemary, minced finely
½ tsp pepper
In a sauté pan over med. heat, warm the oil. Add the garlic and cook for 30 sec., or until fragrant. Add the wine and reduce a bit, and add the stock, Dijon and syrup. Whisk it until smooth and then let sauce reduce to desired consistency. Remove from heat and add the rosemary and pepper. Taste and adjust for salt.
Excellent on fish, tilapia, salmon, trout, shrimp, salmon or crab cakes, chicken, pasta and rice. Imagine this sauce with asparagus, steamed greens, zucchini or green beans.
Piccata Caper Sauce
2 TB EVOO
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
½ c. white wine
½ c. chicken stock
Juice from one large lemon half
2 tsp capers
2 TB butter
3 TB fresh Italian parsley, minced
In a sauté pan warm the EVOO over med. heat. Add the garlic and cook about 30 sec., or until fragrant. Add the wine, raise the heat and reduce a bit. Add the chicken stock and lemon juice and continue to reduce until the desired consistency is reached. Remove the pan from the heat and swirl in the butter and capers. As soon as the butter is melted add the parsley, taste and adjust for salt.
This is delicious on pasta alone—but when served over veal or chicken it is a classic. We love it on fish, especially with steamed greens.
Mushroom Marsala Sauce
2 TB EVOO
1 shallot or onion, finely diced
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ c. white wine
½ c. marsala wine
½ c. chicken stock
2 TB butter
2 TB fresh Italian parsley, finely minced
In a sauté pan warm the EVOO over med. heat. Add the onion/shallot and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are tender and starting to brown. Add the garlic, cooking until fragrant and then add the wine and the Marsala. Raise the heat and reduce a bit. Add the chicken stock and continue to reduce until the desired consistency is reached. Remove the pan from the heat and swirl in the butter. As soon as the butter is melted add the parsley, taste and adjust for salt.
This recipe is perfect on pasta alone, but for the carnivore in your home, sauté a pound of assorted mushrooms and serve this sauce over pasta—they will never miss the meat! Served with veal or chicken this is also a classic dish. This delicious rich sauce is beautiful over rice and with potatoes.
Variation: Follow the recipe above but add the 2 TB of butter just after adding the garlic. As soon as the butter is melted add 2 TB of flour. Stir the flour into the butter and vegetables and cook it until all the flour has been incorporated and then add the wine. Immediately add 1 c. chicken stock and stir to make a thick sauce. Add just enough cream or half and half to suit your needs and you will never use another can of cream of mushroom soup!