Pine nut meticulous person) and are an essential component of Italian pesto sauce; the upsurge in the popularity of this sauce since the 1990s has increased the visibility of the nut in America, primarily on the West Coast. "Torta della nonna" (literally "granny's cake") is a generic Italian dish name that in most families indicates an old family recipe for any kind of cake but often is used for a tart or a pie filled with custard, topped with pine nuts and optionally dusted with icing sugar. "Pignoli" cookies, an Italian American specialty confection (in Italy these would be called "biscotti ai
Tomato sauce roux). All of these qualities make them ideal for simple and appealing sauces. In countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, the term "tomato sauce" is used to describe a condiment similar to ketchup. In some of these countries, both terms are used for the condiment. The use of tomato sauce with pasta appears for the first time in 1790 in the Italian cookbook "L'Apicio moderno", by Roman chef Francesco Leonardi. The simplest tomato sauce consists just of chopped tomatoes cooked down (possibly with olive oil) and simmered until it loses its raw flavor. Of