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1
Pour the water and vinegar into a small saucepan and drop in the bay leaves, garlic cloves, onion, and shallots.
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2
Bring to a boil, and cook, uncovered, at a gentle boil for 25 minutes or so, until the vegetables are cooked through, translucent, and easily pierced with a fork.
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3
Turn off the heat, lift out the vegetables, and let them drain and cool briefly.
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4
Discard the bay leaves, and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
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5
Puree the poached vegetables along with the remaining sauce ingredients in a food processor fitted with the metal blade for about 1 1/2 minutes, scraping down the bowl now and then, until absolutely smooth.
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6
Taste the sauce, and add more salt, peperoncino, or other seasonings if you like; mix in a little more poaching liquid for a thinner consistency.
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7
Serve the sauce at room temperature.
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8
Store for a week in the refrigerator.
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9
A dipping sauce for the crisp turkey tenders on page 310.
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10
A second sauce for the Poached Veal Tongue on page 360 or the Poached Chicken on page 328.
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11
I love the body and flavor that eggplant lends to this sauce.
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12
Follow the main recipe exactly, but add to the poaching pot 1 1/2 cups of firm eggplant peeled and cut in 2-inch chunks.
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13
(In summertime, I poach young tender-skinned eggplant without peeling.)
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14
Cook and drain the eggplant along with the onions and garlic.
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15
Before adding the eggplant to the food processor, remove any seeds from the chunks.
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16
And one more suggestion:
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17
If you happen to have on hand some homemade marinated eggplant allUccelletto (Poached Eggplant with Vinegar, Garlic, and Mint; page 252), you can use that instead.
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18
Take a cup (or two) of the eggplant wedges, with some of the mint in which they are marinating, and puree with all the other red-pepper sauce ingredients.
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19
This version of the sauce is so good, you should make the marinated eggplants just to try it!