My love of Mediterranean food inspired me to make my own recipe for agrodolce, Italy’s sweet and sour sauce, with an American twist; cranberries!
About Agrodolce
Italian agrodolce is a simple sauce that hits all the right sweet and sour sauce notes using a variety of options to balance the sweet elements and the tangy flavors.
Often this sour Italian condiment uses a combination of red wine vinegar or a good balsamic vinegar with fresh or dried fruit and a bit of honey.
My Italian-American version of an agrodolce sauce will combine sweet grapes to sour cranberries, apple cider vinegar to a dark rich honey.
Then to put my own twist on it with a hint of chili peppers or red pepper flakes to add a touch of heat.
Multicultural Sweet and Sour Sauce
I’ll bet when you first think of a sweet and sour sauce, Westernized Chinese food pops into your thoughts first.
However sweet and sour sauce is actually multiculturally loved, even here in America there is a craze for ketchup and pineapples on a pizza; which is totally sweet and sour!
Honestly though, the variety of sweet and sour options that can be used is extensive:
- Sour: Citrus, most any vinegar, tangy passion fruit or tart cranberries.
- Sweet: Honey, sugar, maple syrup, agave or simply the intense sweetness from dried fruits.
Ways To Serve Agrodolce Sauce
This tangy sauce makes for a versatile condiment, a spread or a topping, simply because it is the perfect balance of sweet flavors from fresh fruits and sour flavors from vinegar.
Adding a bit of heat, and a pinch of smoked paprika for a little touch of smokiness, is a great way bring more complex flavors to an already punchy sauce.
From meat or fish to cheese plates or vegetables, this simple Italian sauce recipe will elevate any dish you pair it with.
Italian Sweet and Sour Sauce With Proteins
Take a weekday chicken dish using chicken thighs, for their added fatty flavor, and elevate it to taste like a weekend sour chicken that has been given special love and attention.
Or baste a meaty fish, such as tuna steaks or salmon, with this spicy version of an Italian sauce loaded with caramelized onions, for a memorable recipe you will use often.
All Sorts Of Things Taste Great With Agrodolce
A dish I prepared in the finale of The Great American Recipe looked simple, with finely chopped roasted beets, though it surprised the judges with its complex flavor because I tossed them in my spicy agrodolce recipe before serving it in endive leaves.
If you leave off the chili flakes, the complex sweet and sour flavor of this sauce, when reduced to a thick condiment, brushed over a baked brie a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts, offers the tangy contrast with the creamy cheese and is simply unctuous.
A Fancy Sauce For A Simple Meal
While your homemade agrodolce would certainly elevate baked or roasted chicken breasts, great spread over chops or meatballs, why not a decadent side dish!
Roasted sweet potatoes are easy enough to prepare, but once roasted, cut open and add a dollop of agrodolce inside with a crumble of pecans on the top. Suddenly this simple side becomes the focus of the plate!
Don’t forget how amazing Brussel sprouts will taste with this sweet and sour Italian sauce, even your kids will like Brussels more!
How To Make Italy’s Sweet and Sour Sauce
It couldn’t be easier, and the great thing is that it can be prepared while your meal is cooking, or days in advance.
Many great sauces start off with caramelized onions, so we will start there for this delicious sauce.
Once the onions are golden in color and sweet from sweating, pretty much the remaining ingredients go into the saucepan with a lid and simmer until the fruit has softened.
Remove the lid and allow the sauce to reduce just a little, and in about 15 minutes, start to finish, this Italian sweet and sour sauce it ready to serve with softened fruit bits, or pureed into a thick sauce.
I prefer pureed but that could be because after raising 4 kids who used to ask “what’s that in the sauce ma,” you just puree everything you want them to eat and not ask!
Ingredients Needed For This Sauce
- Butter, to add creaminess to the texture.
- Extra virgin olive oil, for a rich flavor.
- Grapes or golden raisins for natural sweetness.
- Cranberries or dried cherries for tartness.
- Red onion
- Apple cider vinegar or sherry vinegar
- Rum
- Dark rich honey
- Chili pepper or red pepper flakes
- Smoked paprika
- Kosher salt
- Fresh herbs, optional
Equipment Needed
- Blender or food processor to puree the sauce once cooked.
- Saucepan
- Measuring cup and spoons
- Whisk
- Stovetop
Other Sauces I love And Think You Will Too
Sauces play an important of cooking everyday meals, by imparting flavor in simple yet complex ways.
Think how boring most meals would be if there wasn’t the pizazz of a delicious and unique sauce!
- Classic Italian Sage Chestnut Sauce – Classic Italian Sage Chestnut Sauce is a vintage Italian sauce Recipe, with chestnuts, pancetta, garlic and white wine, so move over tomato sauce!
- Sweet and Sour Mango Sauce – Sweet and Sour Mango Sauce, with ripe mangos and honey, a sour kick from balsamic, a pinch of smoked paprika and a chili.
- Caramelized Onion Jam – The sweet, sour and heat in this Caramelized Onion Jam, with balsamic and a bit of chili flakes, is an excellent accoutrement to a variety of dishes.
Agrodolce – Italian Sweet and Sour Sauce
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup Grapes or golden raisins
- 1/2 cup Cranberries or dried tart cherries
- 1 Red onion large, rough chopped
- 1/2 cup Apple cider vinegar or sherry vinegar
- 1 tbsp Rum
- 3 tbsp Dark rich honey
- 1/4 tsp Chili pepper or pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp Smoked paprika
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 Fresh herb sprig rosemary or thyme
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan add the olive oil and butter on medium heat. Place onions in and sauté until they become slightly golden brown and caramelized, about 5 minutes.
- Add the fruit and rum and let simmer another 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients into the pan, place a lid on, lower the heat and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the fruit has softened when pressed with the back of a fork.
- Remove herb sprigs (if used) and cool the sauce. Using a blender or an immersion blender, puree the sauce.
- Sauce can be warmed just before serving, and any remaining sauce can be stored in airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
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