Napoletana - Tomato Sauce from Naples
The simplest of the tomato sauces, but it does use a fair bit of olive oil.
500g (1 lb) fresh or canned tomatoes
1 clove of garlic (crushed or chopped)
fresh basil leaves (torn or chopped)
5 tablespoons olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
salt

Put the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil, salt and pepper in a small saucepan and simmer over a moderate heat for about 10 minutes or until the oil has separated from the tomatoes. If you are using fresh tomatoes add a couple of tablespoonfuls of water. If you're not too keen on olive oil, omit it and add instead a chopped up onion, a small chopped up stick of celery and a bay leaf and simmer for about half an hour. Push the sauce through a sieve.
You can keep it in the fridge for a few days.

Ragu - Bolognese Meat Sauce
Ragu can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for about four days. The sauce can be used simply over spaghetti or to make lasagne.
180g (6oz) lean mince
90g (3oz) chicken livers
60g (2oz) pancetta - streaky bacon
a carrot
an onion
small stick of celery
3 teaspoons of tomato puree
glass of red or white wine
2 glasses of stock or water
butter
nutmeg
freshly grated Parmesan
salt and pepper

Brown the cut up bacon in 159 (2oz) of butter in a small saucepan. Add the finely chopped vegetables and when brown the raw mince. Brown evenly and then add the chicken livers, cook for a few minutes and add the tomato puree and the white wine, season, add the nutmeg (just a scraping), the water or stock, cover and simmer for about 40 minutes. To serve mix it with the hot pasta and add a blob of butter.
Let each person add their own Parmesan.

Pesto - Basil Sauce with Garlic, Cheese and Pine Nuts
A speciality of Genoa, a powerful green sauce for pasta (long strands of spaghetti are best), soup or grilled fish.
You really need a blender or a pestle and mortar to make it properly. (Well worth taking fresh basil and pine nuts home and making it there.)
2 1/2 cups of fresh basil
leaves
6 shelled walnuts (optional)
50g (1 tablespoonful) pine nuts
2 sliced cloves of garlic
30g (1 oz) freshly grated Parmesan
30g (1 oz) freshly grated pecorino (or another ounce or two of Parmesan)
10 tablespoonfuls of olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
salt and pepper

Exact quantities really depend on your taste.
Go easy on the garlic to start with.
Blend or pound the basil, nuts, garlic and about four table spoons of oil, slowly adding in the rest of the oil. Add the grated cheese and a tablespoonful of softened butter and keep pounding until it is the consistency of thick cream. Cover with foil and let it stand.

La Besciamella - Bechamel Sauce
Recipes for this sauce vary from country to country.
As far as the Italian are concerned it should be a basic white sauce. This is the recipe.
2 oz. butter
2 oz. sieved flour
pinch nutmeg
1/2 pint milk
salt and pepper

Melt the butter and blend in the flour. Gradually add the milk, stirring all the time. Reduce the heat, add seasonings and nutmeg, and cook for five minutes.

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