Pavarotti Sauce →[More:] To mark Luciano Pavarotti's passing, I thought I would share a recipe and story from my aunt Deedy Marble, who was the innkeeper at the Governor's Inn in Ludlow Vermont for many years, and who is quite the dab hand in the kitchen. Quoting from her cookbook:

"A while ago, we were contacted by an agency representing Luciano Pavarotti. They asked us to create a vegetarian sauce that would eventually be put on the market under Pavarotti's name (Watch out, Paul Newman!)
We had great fun testing this and that combination, and eventually developed an Ultimate sauce. The sauce never made it to the marketplace, (Pavarotti withdrew from the project) however we are anxious to share the fantastic recipe with you:

1 teaspoon crushed garlic
3/4 cup water
2 teaspoons Olive Oil
2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
1/2 cup diced carrot
1 med onion, thinly sliced into rings
1.5 cups drained crushed tomatoes
1 Bartlett pear: peeled, cored & diced
1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds

In a sauce pan, heat the olive oil over med. heat. Add peppers, carrot and onion. Stir frequently 6-7 minutes or until veg are soft. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes. Stir occasionally. Serve over pasta or rice. We always double the recipe; it freezes well - if there are any leftovers."

... End quote. What takes this sauce out of the realm of ho-hum tomato sauce and makes it something wholly other are the sweetness of the pear, and the zip of the fennel seeds, combined with the earthiness of the red pepper. It is quite good, and I've never run across anything else quite like it.

Since I'm *ahem* borrowing from a family member, and because it is from a commercial venture - albeit one that has been gone for over a decade, I feel I ought to state that this is not for commercial use. However, it should be enjoyed by people who like food.