Recipes from the Sauce Lady

When Tullia Barbanti was under the weather, her mother made her stracciatelle.

The egg-drop soup – “little shreds” or “little rags,” in Italian – features a mixture of beaten eggs and cheese along with broth, lemon zest, bread crumbs and nutmeg.

“I often make this soup and think of my beloved mother, who taught me so many good recipes that I now share with my family,” Barbanti told The Spokesman-Review in 1997.

Barbanti was the Sauce Lady, a longtime teacher and local cookbook author who emigrated from Italy and sold her marinara sauce in grocery stores in Spokane and Seattle.

She died at 88 in October.

Tullia’s Sauce is still available by special order, if you call her son Marco Barbanti in Spokane. (He can be reached at 509-879-0325.) So are her books, which can also be found at Auntie’s Bookstore in downtown.

Or, her son said, “You can make your own.”

What follows are a few of her recipes from the self-published cookbook, “Al Dente,” including her stracciatelle and spaghetti with marinara sauce.

“I am Italian,” she told The Spokesman-Review in 2007, “and my traditions are beautiful.”

Stracciatelle

From “Al Dente” by Tullia Barbanti

This classic soup is served all over Italy and in all kinds of restaurants and trattorie.

4 eggs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest

1 cup bread crumbs

4 quarts plus 1/2 cup meat broth (see recipe below)

In a bowl, beat the eggs until very frothy, add the cheese into the egg with a fork and mix with lemon zest, nutmeg, bread crumbs and ½ cup of broth. Keep whipping for about 3 minutes. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the 4 quarts of broth to a full boil. Pour the egg mixture slowly, drop by drop, into the broth, stirring vigorously all the time. The egg cooks quickly. Remove from heat after 3 minutes of boiling.

Note: Barbanti’s recipe didn’t include greens, but some instructions call for a handful of spinach leaves cut into ½-inch ribbons. Chard, sorrel, arugula or other tender greens could also be used.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Meat Broth

Adapted from Chicken and Beef Broth from “Al Dente” by Tullia Barbanti

1/4 large stewing chicken

1 1/2 pounds beef

1 tablespoon salt

1 carrot

1 piece celery stem

2 cloves

8 ounces tomato sauce

1/2 onion, not chopped

Put chicken and beef in cold water in a large pot, making sure there is enough water to cover the meat. Add the rest of the ingredients through onion in the pot. At first, use a high temperature. Skim the fat off the top of the water as it begins to boil. Then gradually diminish the heat to a low temperature and let the broth boil slowly for about 2 hours or until the meat is well cooked. Add more water, while boiling, if necessary. Taste for salt. Add more if necessary. Pour off broth, and put the meat on a platter to debone.

Yield: about 6 servings

Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce

From “Al Dente” by Tullia Barbanti

1/3 cup olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons parsley, minced

16 ounces tomatoes, peeled

1/2 teaspoon salt

Ground pepper, to taste

1 pound spaghetti, cooked and drained

In a large skillet, pour in the oil with garlic and parsley. Cook at low heat until the garlic turns a golden color, then pour in the tomatoes, add salt and pepper, and let cook for 15 minutes at a high temperature, then reduce heat to low. Use a fork occasionally to break the tomatoes. Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water according to the directions. Drain spaghetti, and pour the sauce over the spaghetti.

Yield: 4 servings

Penne All’Arrabbiata

From “Al Dente” by Tullia Barbanti

2/3 cup olive oil

3 1/2 ounces smoked ham

1 medium-size onion, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

3 1/2 ounces ground beef or pork (see note)

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained

4 ounces tomato paste

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 pounds penne noodles, uncooked

4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

1 tablespoon chopped parsley (leaves only) to garnish

In a saucepan, heat olive oil over moderate heat. Cut smoked ham in small pieces and cook in oil adding the minced onion, celery and carrot.

Cook at low heat until lightly brown, then add minced meat. When the meat becomes brown, pour in the tomatoes, tomato paste and two ounces ( 1/8 cup) water. Add salt and pepper and cook for 30 minutes. Break up whole tomatoes with a spoon while cooking in order to have the pieces to garnish the finished product.

Cook penne in a large pot of boiling, salted water until they are “al dente” according to directions. Mix the sauce with the pasta. Complete by adding parmesan cheese and garnish with some chopped parsley.

Note: Barbanti suggests using a mixture of ground beef and ground pork.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings