Italian Recipes - Culinary Appeal

It is easy to find a wide variety of vegetarian Italian recipes.
Their mouth watering menu has a wholesome mix of soups, salads, lovely pastas to crusty breads. Most cooking depends on the local rice known as Arborio and the cuisine enjoys a rich lineage of cheese.
Italians add life to their food with a variety of herbs, spices and fresh olives primarily cooked in olive oil. Tomatoes are an essential part of every day cooking.
It is well said that Italian cuisine is the mother of South Europe.
Like Indian and Chinese, Italian cuisine also has several regional variations. But unlike the rest, Italian cooking has least blending so as to preserve the unique flavour of every dish.
Sauces lie at the heart of Italian cooking. And serve as an accompaniment to almost every dish whether it is pasta, meat dish or baked vegetables.
List of popular culinary sauces
Alfredo: is a white sauce which is made from butter and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. However these days heavy cream is added to enhance flavour and richness, mainly in the U.S. This sauce best complements a dish known as fettuccine pasta.
Arrabbiata: in Italian for "angry", this zesty tomato based sauce is given an extra spicy flavour due to the addition of hot chilli peppers. This sauce best complements any plain pasta recipe, but is best enjoyed with penne pasta.
Bolognese: also known as ragu alla Bolognese, which translates into a robust meat based sauce from Bologna Northern Italy, the place of its origin. Made with an assortment of fresh vegetables, herbs and meat (beef) ingredients lend it a typical dark shade. Lastly a bit of wine, cream and seasoning is added to further concentrate flavours. Usually tossed with pastas or drizzled and served.
Carbonara: originated during the World War II and has 2 distinct versions. One is American (much richer) and second Italian. Made with eggs, cream, Parmesan and bits of bacon, this sauce is cooked any type of long pasta such as spaghetti, linguini, or fettucini.
Marinara: classic Italian tomato sauce made, which serves as a versatile base for many great Italian dishes. This sauce not only pairs well with pastas, but is also used as a dip for finger foods, topping pizzas, burgers and sandwiches.
Italian Sauce Recipe
Neapolitan collective name for the various tomato based sauces derived from the Italian cuisine. These can be a wonderful addition to pizzas, pastas topping for sandwiches etc.
2 tbsp - Olive oil
1 1/4 - Tomatoes drained diced
1 No - Onion diced
1/4 tsp - Garlic
1 No - Bay leaf
1 tsp - Dried thyme or oregano
2 tbsp - Red wine (optional)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Set a pot of water to boil. Add tomatoes to it. Blanch for a few minutes and remove.
Peel slice and set aside the tomatoes.
Heat oil in a pan and add the onion, garlic, bay leaf and gradually stir in the tomatoes.
Add the wine and season with salt and pepper. Simmer over a low flame for 10 minutes.

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