Sauce

For some time I had been thinking: How can I pare down a classic meat sauce for those occasions when I have neither the time to make nor the voracity to consume a full-scale ragù? The sauce below is the answer I came up with. I replaced beef with veal; eliminated the milk, the wine, the carrot, and the celery; and reduced the cooking time from several hours to half of one. It is as easy to take as it is to do. Is it a favorite dish? Sure — it is my favorite simple meat sauce. Suggested pasta: The ideal carrier for this simple meat sauce is a homemade noodle, in particular one scented with rosemary and sage, cut into fettuccine or tonnarelli.  Boxed dry pasta in a short tubular shape such as penne or maccheroncini  can be a satisfactory alternative.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. This recipe originally accompanied Prune Kumquat Sticky Pudding with Amagnac Toffee Sauce .

This recipe originally accompanied Grilled Lamb Sandwiches with Grilled Onions . Two easy sauces from a single recipe: plain aioli here and one with red bell peppers .

Active time: 5 min Start to finish: 50 min

This sauce uses roasted fresh poblano chilies and their dried form, ancho chilies.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe is used to prepare Cod Cannelloni with Swiss Chard and Roasted Peppers . Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Terrific with roast turkey or pork.

Jeanne Thiel Kelley, a contributing editor at Bon Appétit, says, "As far back as I can remember, my father has been glazing the holiday ham with Marsala (we always have ham and turkey on Thanksgiving). When I started making the cranberry sauce, I decided to mix in a little Marsala, figuring that the combination would complement the ham nicely. I was right, and the sauce is terrific with turkey, too. Rosemary might seem like an unusual seasoning in this sauce, but for me it's a natural addition. I live in Southern California, and fresh rosemary is just everywhere."

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are reprinted from Andreas Viestad's book Kitchen of Light: New Scandinavian Cooking. People tend to differ as to what the real, authentic food traditions are. These differences can cut across countries, regions, or even families (my wife and I can never agree on what to have for Christmas dinner). But on one subject, there is no disagreement among the people of Norway, Sweden, and Finland: Gravlaks should be served with a sweet mustard sauce.