Red Sauce (rubra sauce)

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Red Sauce (rubra sauce)
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it es fr de br
156
Calories per serving
  • Gluten Free
  • Lactose Free
  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Energy Kcal 156
  • Carbohydrates g 8.9
  •   of which sugars g 8.8
  • Protein g 2
  • Fats g 12.4
  •   of which saturated fat g 1.81
  • Fiber g 2.4
  • Sodium mg 56
  • Difficulty: Very easy
  • Prep time: 30 min
  • Cook time: 60 min
  • Serving: 4
  • Cost: Very low

PRESENTATION

Red sauce, or salsa rubra as they call it in Piedmont, is one of those flavorful treasures of northern Italian cuisine. And you know what? It all started long before tomatoes were even on the scene. Back in the late 1600s, English and Dutch merchants brought Europe these super, super tangy fish sauces from Asia—seriously, way more tangy and salty than anything we use today. Over time, Europeans got creative, tossing in vinegar, nutmeg, cloves, and salted anchovies, eventually ditching the soy. Then came the tomatoes. Total game-changer. Suddenly, the red sauce recipe we know today began to take shape. Think of it as a tomato sauce with a spicy kick and just a hint of sweetness, quite different from its earlier versions. In Piedmont, this sauce was named "rubra," and it became a staple—especially with bollito misto, a really really good mix of boiled meats that just begs for a zesty sauce.

Nowadays, Piedmontese salsa rubra is more than just a splash of red. It's a must-have at family gatherings, sitting alongside other sauces, bringing a rich and zesty flavor to pretty much any dish. Compared to the usual marinara sauce or typical pasta sauce, salsa rubra has a deeper flavor profile. Why? The vinegar and warm spices, for sure. While it’s traditionally paired with bollito misto, it also shines as a homemade red sauce for roasted veggies or as a dip for crunchy bread—can’t go wrong. Its moist texture comes from slow cooking, balancing those spices with tomatoes. Some families add extra anchovy or clove for bolder taste, others? Prefer a milder version. Either way, this Italian red sauce makes any meal feel special, linking back to its roots in Piedmont. Whether you’re after an easy marinara recipe or want to savor some regional history, salsa rubra offers a taste that’s both old-school and totally perfect for today’s tables.

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INGREDIENTS
156
Calories per serving
Cluster tomatoes 8
Garlic 2 cloves
Onions 1
Carrots 1
Celery 1 rib
Basil to taste
Red peppers ½
Green Peperoncino to taste
Red wine vinegar to taste
Sugar 1 tsp
Extra virgin olive oil 6 spoonfuls
Fine salt to taste
Preparation

How to prepare Red Sauce (rubra sauce)

To make the rubra sauce, wash the bell pepper, remove the stem, cut it in half 1, remove the internal seeds, then cut it into strips 2 and then into cubes and set it aside. Wash and then blanch the tomatoes 3.

Drain them 4, peel them 5, remove the internal seeds, and then dice them 6.

Now prepare the sauté: wash the celery, remove the outer filaments and chop it, wash, peel, and chop the carrot, and finally peel and chop the onion. To best prepare the sauté, follow the cooking school How to Make a Sauté 7. Pour the chopped mixture into a large pan, flavor with chili pepper 8, and sauté with 4 tablespoons of oil over low heat for about 10 minutes, until they turn golden.

Then add the bell peppers, keeping a handful aside to garnish the sauce 9, the tomatoes 10, the basil leaves 11, the vinegar 12,

the sugar 13, and the salt. Cook over low heat with the lid on 14 until the consistency of the sauce is thick 15,

then blend with an immersion blender 16 or pass everything through a food mill. Mix the sauce well by adding two tablespoons of oil, adjust the seasoning with salt 17, and serve the rubra sauce garnishing it with the bell pepper cubes you set aside 18.

Storage

Store the rubra sauce in the refrigerator for a few days or preserve it longer in sterilized glass jars with airtight lids.

Tip

Not tomato season but suddenly craving red sauce? The solution is: ripe peeled tomatoes, of course of good quality!

Trivia

To avoid displeasing the Duce, who was not fond of foreign words, Cirio launched a contest to find an Italian name for ketchup (American red sauce): Rubra and Vesuvio reached the finals. Latin Rubra won, a term with which the red sauce is still called today.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.
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