Vegetable Sauce
(Stracciate di verdure - the little rags of the vegetable)

Ingredients

5 grams flour
15 ml oil
1/3 carrot, peeled and cut into julienne
small zucchini washed, cut in half , the inside scraped out and then julienned. (Do not peel, all the flavour of the zucchini is in the skin and it gives colour.)
1/2 stalk celery, washed and cut into julienne strips
1/2 top white part of leek, shredded
25 grams sweet potato and of pumpkin, peeled and cut into julienne strips
1/4 of green and red capsicum (better to use yellow if you can get it), cut into julienne strips
Note The vegetable julienne can be prepared in advance and kept in water with a little salt and ice to keep crisp)

Method

Fry a teaspoon of plain flour in a hot pan with very little oil, let cook a minute to amalgamate and then add some white wine, Use this to give a little thickness to the vegetable sauce. If this to accompany fish do not use butter or milk as it takes away from the flavour of the fish

The small amount of thickening just finishes the sauce and gives it the right texture. Some cooks use arrowroot but the fried plain flour is better..

Toss the vegetables in a hot pan with very little oil to bring out their flavour The oil should not be burning but quite hot. Don't cook through, just warm the vegetable, they should remain firm, and not be allowed to soften. Then add the fish juices with the flour thickening.