Answer to Question 1
A
Answer to Question 2
Italian sauces are fully flavored. There is not quite the emphasis on sauces as
there is in French cuisine, but especially important when it comes to pasta which
is almost always served with a sauce. Two Italian sauces are Pesto alla
Genovese and Neapolitan Sugo (Italian word for sauce.) alla di Pomodoro.
These two sauces are good representations because the pesto is distinctive to the
northern part of Italy and the Pomodoro is affiliated with the south of Italy. Pesto
is a relatively thick sauce which has basil, olive oil, garlic, and pine nuts as its
main ingredients. Sometimes parsley and parmesan cheese are added, and also
walnuts are sometimes substituted for pine nuts. These ingredients are
traditionally pounded together in a mortar and pestle but contemporarily blended
in a food processor. This is a classic sauce to use on pasta, as well as on
bruschetta.
The Neapolitan Sugo alla di Pomodoro is a very simple tomato sauce. Its
ingredients are olive oil, garlic, plum tomatoes, parsley, and basil. The method
for producing this sauce is to heat the oil, add the garlic first and then the
tomatoes and parsley. It is simmered for a brief period of time during which the
basil is added. The sauce should be passed through a food mill and put back on
the stove to reduce. It is perhaps the most classic of pasta sauces and has many
uses for pastas, meats and seafood, vegetable dishes, and layered casseroles.