Salsa All Agresto

Chef Marco Fiorinis family roots are in the Valtellina, one of the rugged, narrow Alpine valleys northeast of Milan. Fiorini remembers the old people there making this sauce, which dates back at least to the Middle Ages. The juice of unripened grapes is used in place of vinegar, which gives the sauce a hauntingly tart taste. Where to find unripened grapes? In a neighbor or friends backyard arbor, or ask a farmers market grape vendor to bring you some not-yet-ripe grapes. Put bread crumbs, sugar, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic and nuts into a blender or food processor and puree, as if making pesto sauce. Slowly add the grape juice. At this point the mixture may be heated in the chicken broth and served as a warm sauce. Be care- ful not to let the sauce boil, or it will separate. Makes 1 1/2 cups. Uses: Serve warm as a sauce for fish, veal or chicken. Or omit the chicken broth and serve at room temperature or on crackers or bread, or as a dip for raw vegetables. PER TABLESPOON: 25 calories, 0 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 2 g fat (0 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 48 mg sodium, 0 g fiber. From an article by Georgeanne Brennan in The San Francisco Chronicle, 9/4/91. Posted by Stephen Ceideburg