Our farmhouse here in Umbria is just down the street from a small town called Piedicolle. The town is so small, just over 100 inhabitants, that although it has a church, it doesn’t even have a full-time priest so church services are performed by a visiting priest on a rotating basis.
Apart from the church, the only other facility within the town is a small sporting club with a calcetto field. Every summer in July, the town holds a calcetto tournament, pitting teams from local towns against each other. The field is smaller than a regular soccer field, and there are only six players from each team on the field at one time making it a very fast moving game.
The tournament runs for a few weeks until finally one team is named the winner, and folks come from all over to join in the festivities. Of course since we are in Italy, there has to be food involved, and the women of Piedicolle offer a full menu of tasty Umbrian options that changes nightly. These women are very well known in our area as being amazing cooks, so the tournament probably draws as many people for its food as it does the soccer.
Since we live just down the road, we have attended this tournament every year for the past seven years that we have lived here, and during the period that the tournament runs, we probably enjoy a meal there once a week.
One of the first things I tasted in Piedicolle were grilled spiedini (mixed pork kabobs) that were served with a scoop of an amazing tasting sauce. After a year or two when we began to know a few of the women in town, we asked if they would tell us exactly what was in the sauce.
We were told at that time, that the recipe was a closely held secret and only shared with the women in town who cooked. Although I wasn’t given the recipe, they did give me a jar of sauce to take home with me to try and replicate it.
This sauce is obviously made from a base of green olives, and after experimenting with the sauce a few times, I think I have come pretty close. The women of Piedicolle serve this sauce on top of grilled steak, chops, and spiedini (pork kabobs), but I also tried it on grilled chicken and it was delicious.
I am sharing my version of this “secret sauce” (don’t tell the Piedicolle ladies!), and although it may not be exactly the same as the original, it is very tasty. Watch out though, you may find yourself spooning it on just about everything!
Since olives are the base for this sauce, it is most important to choose good quality ones. For my sauce, I chose the Castelvetrano variety from Sicily that are bright green with a natural sweet flavor, but any flavorful green olive will work. You may want to play around with the ingredients to suit your taste.
You could add an extra garlic clove or extra capers, or even add a small hot chili pepper if you are so inclined. This sauce will keep in the refrigerator for five days, and I have also had good luck freezing it in small containers.
I made a batch of this sauce last week that I served on Arrosticini (also called spidducci) which are a traditional lamb dish from Abruzzi consisting of small, thin skewers prepared for the grill. The sauce was delicious served with the lamb, and in fact it was so tasty that we were mopping our plates with bread to get every last bit!
This quick southern Italian sauce is a pungent, briny collaboration of anchovies, olives, and capers within a chunky tomato base.
You know that cliff-side villa you own on Italy’s Amalfi Coast? The one with the lemon trees and the small, grassy side yard, which doubles as an olive orchard? Oh. That wasn’t you? Yeah, me neither. I do have a shortcut to that lifestyle though, which doesn’t involve a chance inheritance of a vast fortune. It’s olive sauce.
It tastes like the ocean breeze smells, or how a glowing tan, without a single bit of sunburn, feels—briny, bright, and warm. The pistachios make it slightly crunchy and destined to be consumed with swordfish steaks in a faded stucco courtyard.
Now, we build. Add chopped (unsalted, toasted) pistachios, chopped tarragon, and olive oil into the same bowl. Use a microplane to grate some garlic and lemon zest into the mix and finish it with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mix it all up. Give it a whiff. (You don’t need to smell it, but why the hell not?) The proportions here are flexible. Want a little more acid? Up the lemon juice. More bite? Up the garlic. Want more tarragon? Up the…tarragon. Duh. For the official recipe and measurements, head right over here.
Humility might be a human beings greatest virtue, but for a sauce, it’s versatility. Versatility and taste. And maybe the inclusion of Castelvetrano olives. Those are the top three. And guess what. This sauce hits all the nails, checks all the boxes, and delivers all the checks, which is more than I can say about my imaginary Italian villa.
The mixture itself takes about five minutes to make, even though the ingredient list seems long. The most time-consuming part is pitting and crushing the olives, which to be honest, isn’t a chore at all, because you get to eat them while you work (so…buy extra). Here’s how to do it, so you don’t have to slice and pit every olive.
I made a batch of this sauce last week that I served on Arrosticini (also called spidducci) which are a traditional lamb dish from Abruzzi consisting of small, thin skewers prepared for the grill. The sauce was delicious served with the lamb, and in fact it was so tasty that we were mopping our plates with bread to get every last bit!
Since olives are the base for this sauce, it is most important to choose good quality ones. For my sauce, I chose the Castelvetrano variety from Sicily that are bright green with a natural sweet flavor, but any flavorful green olive will work. You may want to play around with the ingredients to suit your taste.
Our farmhouse here in Umbria is just down the street from a small town called Piedicolle. The town is so small, just over 100 inhabitants, that although it has a church, it doesn’t even have a full-time priest so church services are performed by a visiting priest on a rotating basis.
We were told at that time, that the recipe was a closely held secret and only shared with the women in town who cooked. Although I wasn’t given the recipe, they did give me a jar of sauce to take home with me to try and replicate it.
I am sharing my version of this “secret sauce” (don’t tell the Piedicolle ladies!), and although it may not be exactly the same as the original, it is very tasty. Watch out though, you may find yourself spooning it on just about everything!
Easy Béchamel – White Sauce – Made With Olive Oil – So Creamy!
FAQ
What dip is made from olives?
What is puttanesca sauce made of?
What is tapenade made of?
What does a tapenade taste like?
What does olive sauce taste like?
It’s olive sauce. Seriously, olive sauce. This is not a finely chopped tapenade, but a casual, foolproof combination of Castelvetrano olives, pistachios, garlic, lemon, and tarragon. It tastes like the ocean breeze smells, or how a glowing tan, without a single bit of sunburn, feels—briny, bright, and warm.
Can one cook with olive oil?
It is possible to cook with olive oil. However, it is not recommended for use in cooking fried foods. Olive oil has a lower smoke point, which can create unhealthy residues.
What is Italian meat sauce?
It’s a combination of sweet, sour, and savory flavors. For those that adore strong and full-bodied tastes, Italian meat sauces are a brilliant way to savor the best of Italy’s cuisine. The renowned Ragù alla Bolognese, Sugo di Carni and Sunday Sauce with its hearty flavorings, are amongst my favorite ones.
What are the different types of Italian sauces?
There are many other Italian sauces I didn’t even mentioned yet, but if I were to choose, I’d also mention the following ten names: Puttanesca: A tangy and somewhat salty sauce made from tomatoes, black olives, capers, anchovies, and garlic. Arrabbiata: A spicy sauce made from tomatoes, garlic, and dried red chili peppers cooked in olive oil.