Fedelini with filetto sauce

6 Servings

Ingredients

QuantityIngredient
4tablespoonsOlives oil
4Garlic onions (whole garlic bulbs); minced
4largesOnion; finely chopped
teaspoonSalt
½teaspoonPepper
2teaspoonsDry oregano
2tablespoonsDry basil
teaspoonHot red-pepper flakes
3poundsVery ripe plum tomatoes; peeled/seeded/chopd -OR-
2Italian (2 lb. cans) plum tomaotes with basil; run thru food-mill
½teaspoonSugar
1poundsFedelini (v. thin spaghetti) cooked al dente;, drained
Grated Asiago cheese

Directions

In a pot, heat the oil, saute the garlic until soft. Add the onions and cook until soft. Stir in the salt, pepper, oregano, basil andred pepper flakes, blending well. Add the tomatoes and sugar, stirring them into the other ingredients until well mixed. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 35 minutes, stirring often. (The appeal of this dish is it's lightness, so do not over cook and thicken.) When you can move a wooden spoon across the top of the sauce without leaving a watery trail, it is ready. It should be smooth and thick, but not heavy. Do not revert to other pasta sauce techniques and use either tomato paste or the crushed tomatoes that come in a can. This destroys the personality of Filetto Sauce. Toss a least a cup of the sauce with the hot pasta. Spoon generous amounts over individual servings and freeze the rest of the sauce.

Pass the cheese of your choice at the table. Makes aobut 6 cups of sauce ( some for the freezer) ; this pasta will serve 6. Recipe from Italy. >From A World of pasta, by Maria Luisa Scott and Jack Denton Scott, McGraw-Hill, '78 Reprinted in Cookbook Digest, '79 MC formatting by bobbi744@...

NOTES : This is a special light sauce that restauranteurs in Italy make on Sundays and serve to themselves and their staffs on fresh pasta that day.

It freezes well and thus making a big batch saves time. It's creator uses prosciutto fat to saute the onions and garlic, but olive oil does the job nicely.

Recipe by: Cookbook Digest, '79 Posted to MC-Recipe Digest by Roberta Banghart <bobbi744@...> on Apr 02, 1998