Makes 3 half-pint jars

Foriana sauce comes from the island of Ischia off the coast of Naples, where it is served on pasta as a Lenten dish. It makes a quick and exotic bruschetta, and indeed, when added to other dishes, Foriana sauce adds a Moorish quality that is savory, sweet, and spicy. The sauce is heated, then packed in sterilized jars, covered with olive oil, and refrigerated. The oil acts as a barrier between the sauce and spoilers in the air in the fridge, and refrigeration retards the growth of spoilers. Fiorana sauce lasts about 10 days.

1 cup walnuts
1 cup pine nuts
5 tablespoons sliced garlic (about 10 large cloves)
3 teaspoons dried oregano
3 tablespoons olive oil plus more for covering the jars
1/2 cup white raisins
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Olive oil to cover

Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor and pulse to a fine chop, until the nuts are like damp granola. Add the oregano and pulse a few more times to combine.

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized skillet over a medium heat.

Add the nut mixture, the raisins, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid burning or searing.

Bring 3 half-pint jars, their lids and bands to a boil in a large pot of water with a fitted rack. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove the jars with tongs (the tongs don’t need to be sterilized). When the jars are dry but still hot, pack in the Foriana sauce, eliminating as many air pockets as you can. (I press down with the knuckles of my index and middle fingers to pack the sauce—be sure your hands are clean.) Fill the jars to about 1 inch below the rim. Add an 1/2 inch layer of oil to cover. Wipe the rim with a paper towel,
place on the lid and screw on the band. Refrigerate jars. Check on the sauce a day after you make it: you may need to add more oil to ensure it is completely covered.

Be sure to cover the surface of the Foriana sauce with oil after each use. Remove only the quantity of sauce that you need for a dish and allow that to come to room temperature. Cover the remaining sauce in the jar with oil and promptly return it to the fridge.