VEGETABLE SAUCES

THERE ARE TWO MAIN CONSIDERATIONS when preparing vegetable sauces for pasta. First, the vegetables must be cut into small enough pieces that will not overwhelm the pasta. Broccoli must be trimmed into very small florets or mushrooms sliced. The other major issue is moisture.

Some vegetables, such as mushrooms, are fairly watery and will help create their own sauce. Other vegetables, like broccoli, need some help. Possible choices include tomatoes, cream, and oil. Tomatoes are low in fat but can obscure delicate vegetable flavors. Cream has the same problem, with additional concern about fat. Olive oil is probably the best all-purpose solution because its flavor complements that of most vegetables, but care must be taken to keep the pasta from becoming too greasy.

While it is certainly possible to use more than ¹/₂ cup of oil in a vegetable sauce meant for tossing with one pound of pasta (many traditional Italian recipes do so), we think it's better to keep the oil under ¹/₂ cup. One reason many cooks, including us, choose vegetable pasta sauces is because they make lighter, healthier meals. If you agree and want to keep oil use to a minimum, rely on a little of the pasta cooking water to moisten and stretch the sauce.

In our taste tests, we have found that pure olive oils do not have much flavor and are not recommended in pasta sauces. Extra-virgin olive oils (which contain more flavor than other olive oils and by law must have a very low acidity) are a must. In our testing, we found it quite difficult to tell differences among various extra-virgin oils when tasted on food. This held true even when comparing oils priced at $10 per quart to those retailing for $50 or more a quart.

All extra-virgin oils go through an independent tasting process that eliminates flawed samples. Our advice is to find a reasonably priced brand you like—the supermarket has many decent choices. An oil marked "extra-virgin" will deliver a certain level of quality, so you can focus on important considerations, like finding fresh, flavorful vegetables.