The peverada sauce was the ancient sauce prepared by Venetian nobles to accompany the game (hares and pheasants), while in the houses of the peasants, who were forbidden to hunt, was used for baked rabbit and guinea fowl. The ancient tradition continues.

A curiosity of this sauce made of pepper.

Pevarade, peara or pearà and various peppery relatives appear to have originated in the Longobardo Middle Ages. The poor Rosamund, forced by cruel King Alboin to drink in the skull father, fell into such a state of depression since losing all appetite. At least until a court cook “healed” her with the strong flavor of a pepper sauce as those described today.

Ingredients

400 g of guinea fowl or chicken livers
100 g of Venetian soppressa or, failing that, salami or fresh sausage
3 anchovy fillets
parsley
1 grated lemon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 handful of grated parmesan cheese
1 handful of breadcrumbs
Plentiful ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon ½

Preparation

Brown the chopped garlic clove; add chopped chicken livers, the soppressa, the parsley, the other clove of minced garlic, lemon zest, grated and anchovies into small pieces. Make all homogeneous with a little grated cheese and breadcrumbs, season with salt, add pepper and cook for a few minutes. When cooked, season with vinegar or, if you prefer, with 1/2 lemon squeezed. The sauce has the consistency of a dark medium grain ragu’.
It goes well with roasted and boiled meats.

Regional variations on salsa peverada

Very briefly, in Verona peverada is prepared with beef marrow, breadcrumbs, a good meat stock and lot of pepper. It’s called “peara'” (= “peppery”) and is the queen sauce for boiled meat in Scaligero style, real institution of home cooking. To cook it properly you need a couple of hours and the final outcome is a good cream to accompany boiled meat.

Creaminess that characterizes the Trentino peverada, similar but woe to confuse them! Offended by this similarity, the Trentini could not let you all enjoy. In theory, it is simpler than peverada Verona: breadcrumbs, a light broth, onion, garlic and Grana Trentino and you’ll have a smooth texture. Excellent with the “luganega” (sausage) or even to flavor the ubiquitous yellow polenta.

Moving further east, towards Treviso, we actually find the peverada trevigiana. This is the realm of the barnyard animals, and the sauce will find its origin in their livers (also duck, guinea fowl, etc.). Marry well with mostly white important roasts.

In Padua, a curious version based (also) of bell peppers and anchovies.