Looking for great pasta sauce...

When we go "home" to Iowa

Hubby's first stop is Dahls for fried gizzards. Mine is to pick up some A&E Dairy cottage cheese and party dip.

 
My Italian Mother, Christine, homemade sauce ~ originated from Italy

My mother's family is from Italy and of course we have our own Italian Spaghetti Sauce. This is her recipe and This is the real thing... Please enjoy

CHRISTINE’S ORIGINAL ITALIAN (SPAGHETTI) SAUCE

Need LARGE sauce pot

Ingredients:

2 or 3 large cans of: Whole tomatoes: OR ( 4 to 5 lbs of roma tomatoes, chop, blend in blender, liquefy )

2 medium cans of: diced tomatoes: 1st can: add into sauce while cooking, 2nd can: add to sauce when sauce is done

2 medium cans of: tomato paste: add equally, 2 tomato paste cans of water, blend in blender, liquefy

1 thick slice of onion, chop, blend in blender, liquefy. Don’t need to use entire thick slice of onion.

2 pounds ground sirloin *see below Step 2

1 package Italian sausage OR ( 1 package of pork chops)

Spices: (dried or fresh spices)

2 TABLESPOONS basil

1 TABLESPOON oregano

1/2 TABLESPOON garlic powder

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 TABLESPOON olive oil

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons red wine, OR red wine vinegar

2 TABLESPOONS brown sugar

Pinch red pepper

Note: can add more or less of spices according to your taste

Step 1
Add whole tomatoes into blender liquefy add to large sauce pot, then add 2 cans of water OR add the 4 to 5 lbs of roma tomatoes, liquefied, to the pot. Stir. Add 1 can of diced tomatoes to pot. Stir. Add liquefied tomato paste from blender into pot. Stir. Add liquefied onions to sauce. Stir.

Step 2
Add ground sirloin: crumble and put into sauce raw OR steam ground sirloin (NEVER FRY) when meat is done rinse thoroughly with water, and using a fork, crumble steamed ground sirloin, add to pot. Stir. Add Italian sausage OR pork chops to sauce. Stir.

Step 3
Add all the spices. Add each spice one at a time and stir sauce thoroughly with each addition.

Step 4
For the first 15 minutes (after all ingredients & spices are added to sauce), cook on high temperature, cover pot ( NOT FULLY, LEAVE A LITTLE TO THE SIDE WITH A LITTLE STEAM COMING OUT). Watch sauce for first 15 minutes. Stir frequently. Note: Very Important, to stir the sauce frequently. After each addition to sauce, it is very important to stir the sauce thoroughly. As sauce is cooking, you may need to add water to sauce if sauce is getting low in the pot, just add 1 to 2 cups and stir.

Step 5
Lower temperature to medium to medium low, cover pot, (not fully leave a little to the side with a little steam coming out) for a minimal of 3 hours. Stir frequently. Add second can of diced tomatoes.

Step 6
If cooking longer than 3 hours, lower temperature to low, leave covered (not fully, leave a little to the side with a little steam coming out).

Note: The longer sauce cooks, the better it tastes.

Most Importantly: The sauce needs to be stirred frequently.

Hint: Taste often and add any spice you feel it may need.

 
That's another of her tricks & uses it often with meats. There's another in which she poaches pork

in milk, as I recall.

 
Have you made this? I've done it using someone else's recipe and it's really wonderful. The first

time I made it, I thought I'd done something wrong because the liquid looked sort of clumpy and curdled, but it's really delicious.

 
Her recipe for that milk-braised loin is rather plain. Saveur has an excellent

version with milk, cream, lemon and sage. The milk thickens and turns golden and rich. The recipe says to discard the ribs, but they're awesome to nibble on.

It doesn't come up on Saveur's (lousy) search, but I can post if anyone wants it. It's in issue 54.

 
Yes, I have a couple of times. It's not a favourite as I find the meat rather dry. I believe it

uses bay leaf. Never had it curdle and I do like the little 'sauce' that's made by it, but let's check out Shaun's contribution here as it sounds better.

 
Please do. I stopped my subscription after their first year. I think too many of my issues

are in the post office library.

I agree on Marcella's. I know when I haven't made something for about a decade that I wasn't too impressed. The general idea works though.

 
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