7. Whore Sauce
Puttanesca is a blend of tomatoes, garlic, capers and anchovies. This sauce is traditionally served over spaghetti. Invented in Naples around World War II, the name comes from the Italian word “puttanna” or prostitute. After wrapping up with their last customer late a night, these ladies would get a bite to eat at their local restaurant. However by then all that was left were various scraps. These odds and ends eventually became the classic Puttanesca sauce. Click here to see Emeril’s version, worthy of a Goodfella’s prison kitchen!
6. Priest Choker Pasta
Strozzapreti is a cut of pasta invented in southern Italy by pissed off housewives. Back in the medieval day the Catholic church owned the land farmer’s worked. And like clockwork their priests would show up to collect the rent. Furthermore they weren’t shy about inviting themselves over for dinner. Frustrated housewives supposedly designed this cut to choke greedy guests who ate it too quickly. Another myth has it that priests who repeatedly dined at the same homes and had overstayed their welcome would be served this cut (as a subtle hint).
5. Donkey Sauce
Pasta al burro is a simple Italian recipe of butter and grated Parmesan cheese served over pasta. Burro in many languages means donkey, but in Italian it means “butter”. Click here to see the recipe!
4. Knocked Up Lady Sauce
Restauranteur Alfredo Di Lelio invented this namesake sauce for his pregnant wife. He worried about her eating enough and staying healthy. So he added more cream and butter to the classic pasta al burro recipe. Click here to see this classic Fettuccine Alfredo recipe!
3. Coal Miner Sauce
So in Italian charcoal burners are called “carbonaro”. One of Italy’s most famous sauces, Carbonara was once cooked by woodcutters or miners over charcoal. The flakes of black pepper are reminiscent of coal dust. Spaghetti is the most popular pasta used. But other cuts like bucatini, linguine or fettucine will work as well. Click here for the Spaghetti Carbonara recipe from Saveur! Or order it from this amazing restaurant in Montclair, New Jersey in the States!
2. Counterfeiter’s Sauce
So the Bolognese sauce that most Americans know is actually a flawed copy of the original recipe. Ragù alla Bolognese can be traced back to the 1700s in Bologna, Italy. The original dish did not have any tomatoes, and instead relied on ingredients like carrots for a more reddish color. Even today in traditional homes, only enough tomato is used to thicken the sauce up a bit, no more! Unlike in the States, you don’t use spaghetti. Go instead with long cuts of pasta that are wider like tagliatelle. Check out Chef Massimo Botura’s take on this recipe here!
1. Sunday Gravy
The word “gravy” comes from an incorrect translation of the Italian word “sugo” which means juice or sauce. Sunday Gravy is an Italian American tradition where a hodgepodge of different meats are used. This recipe is meant to be cooked over the course of an entire afternoon as part of a friendly family day. So hide any sharp objects and check out the Genius Kitchen version of this recipe here!
