Name: Sugo Finto (“Fake” Sauce)
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 5 leaves of fresh basil; 2 or 3 (14 to 16 ounces) juicy ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped or 1 (14-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped; 3 leaves of fresh sage, chopped; 1 medium white onion, diced very fine; 1 carrot, diced very fine; 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 branch of fresh rosemary, needles minced; 1 celery rib, diced very fine; ¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley; Freshly ground black pepper; Salt

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

In Nonna's Kitchen

By Carol Field

Published 1997

About

This tomato sauce comes with the unlikely name of finto (“pretend or fake”) because it is made just like a meat sauce, although there isn’t a hint of beef or veal to be found in it. In a country in which meat has been a rare treat and vegetables a daily pleasure, it’s just one more clever way that Italian grandmothers deal with scarcity. Toss with pasta or serve with polenta.