Welcome to the party Hodor. You are approved

mine's pretty simple

olive oil
1 onion, chopped
some garlic, chopped
1lb ground beef
can of tomato paste
can of tomato sauce
salt & pepper
basil, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, parsley

pretty much just go in that order, saute the onion, add the garlic a minute or two later. brown the meat. add the cans (and some water). then herbs

the basil, parsley, and rosemary are fresh from the garden (had to start the basil plant over again though due to cold weather). the cans of tomato stuff will hopefully go away come spring as i'm gonna plant a few tomato plants. and in theory the garlic will be home grown depending on how this crop i planted turns out.

i also have some shallots planted, i may sub in some of those in place of onions.

Hodor,

I can't count the number of pasta sauces I've tried. Yours sounds interesting and I printed it to try in the future.

2 large cans cento Italian tomatoes
2 cans cento tomato paste
Beef short ribs
Few cloves garlic
bay leaf
1-3 pounds ground beef
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder (if needed)

In my family I have a large "sauce pan" I only use for cooking sauce. May be 12 quarts but I'm not sure

Chop up the garlic and brown in the olive oil
Add the short ribs and brown them

Take the ground beef and add salt, pepper, bread crumbs or whatever your recipe calls for and make as many meatballs as you like
Brown the meatballs on a baking pan in the over for 20 minutes (I think at 375 but don't quote me

Blend the cento tomatoes in a blender for approx 20 seconds. Should be at a thick sauce consistency

Drain the excess oil and grease from the sauce pan after you have browner the short ribs.

Add the blended tomatoes from the blender to the sauce pan overthe beef.

Add salt and fresh ground pepper

Add the meatballs from the oven to the sauce

Let simmer for at least two hours while stirring every 5-10 minutes

Add tomato paste as needed to reach desired thickness

Add garlic powder if needed for taste

Spoon out the grease that floats to the top while cooking it

Remove the beef and meatballs and serve out of a separate bowl

Pour sauce over whatever pasta you are serving and mix it in with it before serving

I always thought olive oil in the water helped prevent the pasta from sticking together

Have never added sugar to any sauce. Have never tried red pepper flakes but will consider it




blend the two cans

quote:

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When do you suppose [peppers] migrated to Europe? Even with the help of the Spaniards, it wasn't until 1548 according to this website. Don't you think the Italians made pasta sauces before then?

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I'm sure they did, but that doesn't mean that cuisines don't evolve. If it weren't for the Spaniard importing cattle to the Americas, we'd be eating bison steak and bison burgers. I guess if you want to go really far back, we can add some eye of newt and witch hazel to our stocks.

I'd love for you to go to Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich and tell them that red pepper flakes aren't used in traditional Italian cuisine. Mario would probably shove an orange clog up your butt while Lidia beat you over the head with a wooden spoon.

Like I said

I hope it is turkey Sweet Italian sausage

Sorry, mine is spicy.

Since tomatoes are not ideginous to Italy either, but rather south America too, id say no, tomato based sauce on pasta wasn't made before the red pepper......

The origin of tomatos isn't in question.

i haven't really tried an all-day version.

my weeknight version works for me, though.

i brown a pound each of ground beef and ground italian sausage, then drain and set aside.
i saute my aromatics (carrot, onion, celery) in a couple pan turns of evoo.
once things are looking mostly softened, i shake a good sprinkling of red pepper flake on it and toss 2-3 minced garlic cloves in there and let it go for a minute or two.
at this point i'll run the pepper grinder over it, and add some dried oregano, crushed fennel seed, and whatever other herbs i've got that sound good.
now i add about a cup of beef stock (i like kitchen basics). let it come back to a boil.
then add back in my browned meats.
now i add a larger (28oz?) can of crushed tomatoes and one of petite diced tomatoes.
bring it to a boil, and then reduce to simmer.
now i start tasting. usually i add some heavy cream, additional salt, and any other seasonings that i think would make it taste good. if it's too acidic, i'll add a teaspoon or so of sugar to bring it in line. since this is a week night, and i don't have time to simmer till things fall apart, i'll usually get my blender and ladle about a third of it into the blender and blend it till the pieces are much smaller. then i return it to the pot so i've got a much more coherent pasta sauce.

my choice of "spaghetti" is actually vermicelli. not a fan of the overly thick spaghetti.

i'll say it's probably not nearly as good as the ones with short rib (yum), but it hits the spot, avoids the prego/ragu, and doesn't take a super long time.

Here's my Sunday Sugo, as best I can remember it. This is definitely a meat sauce, and isn't very tomato-y. The recipe takes full advantage of the Maillard reaction (it really needs it), so take your time browning the meat and aromatics. It's pretty heavy, so it requires a pretty substantial pasta to go with it like a pappardelle or thick spaghetti.

1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
4 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1.5# total coarsely ground meat (beef, pork, and/or veal)
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
2 c. water
3/4 bottle red wine (sangiovese or dolcetto is ideal. something low in tannin) drink the rest while cooking.
1 sprig rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs oregano
1 3" square piece Parmesan rind (optional, but not so optional when I make it)
pinch cayenne pepper
salt & pepper

Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Give the pan a few turns of olive oil, and add the onion and a heavy pinch of salt. Sweat the onion until it caramelizes, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook the garlic until soft. Remove the onion and garlic from the pan, reserve. Add some olive oil to the pan, add the mushrooms, season with salt, and saute over medium high heat until browned. Remove from the pan, and put them with the onions and garlic.

Return the pan to the heat, and brown the meat in batches (if it isn't browning, you've got too much meat in the pan).

Tie the rosemary, thyme, and oregano into a bundle (for easier extraction later).

Add the tomato paste to the pan, and brown to get some color to the paste. Add the water, tomato sauce, wine, Parmesan rind, cayenne pepper, onions, garlic and mushrooms, and herb bundle. Increase heat, bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to keep a bare simmer. Give it a taste (it's going to taste pretty awful because of the raw wine, but that's ok, this is just for a reference point). Do not add any salt or pepper yet. Simmer over low heat until it's cooked enough to your liking, a minimum of one hour, as many as four hours. Give it a stir every 30 minutes or so, and add water if it gets too thick. When it's done to your liking, remove the rind and herb bundle, and adjust the seasoning. Serve over fresh pasta, cooked dried pasta, or off a car bumper; it will taste good either way you serve it.


[This message has been edited by HTownAg98 (edited 11/13/2011 11:01a).]

quote:

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When do you suppose they migrated to Europe? Even with the help of the Spaniards, it wasn't until 1548 according to this website. Don't you think the Italians made pasta sauces before then?

---

To answer your question:

No, not with Tomatoes.....if Red Pepper isnt allowed then neither are tomatoes.....sure there are other sauces for pasta, but we have been discussing a tomato based sauce. If we allow that non-native ingredient why cant we use others, especially if they have been adopted/migrated historically around the same time.

EDIT* ill give you props man nice troll!


[This message has been edited by bonfirewillburn (edited 11/2/2011 3:15p).]

Keep my name out of your mouth.

I didn't give a tomato sauce recipe, so let it go.

I didn't say Tomato sauce either. I said pasta sauce.

In fact the sentence in which I didn't say "tomato sauce" has been quote twice now.

[This message has been edited by phideaux_2003 (edited 11/2/2011 4:53p).]

As for the accusation of trolling, it was drive on that chimed in with his overly critical post about my being a shiddy cook and refering to me as fake fido.

Then you bonfirewillburn... After Htownag98 and I had a great conversation about adding oil to water and after I explained why I do it, but that I certainly understand why someone may not, you decide to be a dewsh and say this crap...

quote:

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You say you can taste the difference?, Then:

-A-Go get you palate Insured cause you got a gift dude
-B- MORE LIKELY- the placebo affect is real!

---

thusly starting up more crap conversation.



It was not I that trolled dude.

Also chile's in the form of chile's would be South American. Dried chile is still chile. The Italians took tomato's and made something else with it all together. That's how I rationalize it.

_______________________________________________________
Either you love bacon, or you're wrong.

1. Fresh herbs make the sauce (I grow LOTS of basil in my garden).
2. The only reason I ever add oil to the pasta water is to reduce the potential for boil overs
3. Third thing here

Ingredients:
•Oregano

•1 bay leaf

•Sweet Basil

•Fresh parsley (This is Important!! It MUST be fresh parsley!)

•Garlic powder

•(1) vedalia onion (Not too large but bigger than medium)

•Salt/Pepper
•(5) cloves of garlic (Must be fresh chopped)
•Cajun seasoning - Just a dash (Recommend Tony's Chachere's)
•Olive Oil (Recommend "Filippo BERIO Olive Oil" imported from Italy)
•Sugar (You're going to add just a little bit later on during the cooking)
•(5) 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce or puree (Preferably "Hunt's"
•(2) 6 oz. cans of tomato paste (Preferably "Hunt's"
•(2) 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes (Preferably "Hunt's"
•(1) 14.5 oz. cans of petite diced tomatoes. (Preferably "Hunts"
* Using "Hunts Tomato Products" is very important! I have tried many different brands and I have found "Hunts" tomatoes really are the best tasting.
•Red wine (any red will do)
•(2) pork chops (Average size, thin and with the bone. This comes into the recipe when you start making the Meatballs. You are making the Meatballs right? It really adds to the flavor of the sauce!)
•(1) Package of mild Italian Sausage (I recommend mild Johnsonville Sausage)
•A good Sauce pan at lease 10" diameter and 12" deep (Make sure you have a quality pan, cheap pans have a very thin bottom which tends to burn whatever it is you are cooking. A good quality sauce pan has a very thick bottom to it, this is much better for things that you have to cook for a long time such as sauces and soups.)
•Water (you will be adding approximately 49.5 oz. of water along the way during the cooking process. This is an important step so pay attention.

Chop up (3) Large cloves of garlic as fine as you can. It's better to do this manually with a knife and your fingers in lieu of using a garlic chopper or garlic press. This way, you will have that nice Italian Grandmother smell. If you do not have an Italian Grandmother. Trust me, their fingers always smell like garlic



Add the garlic to the oil. Do not heat the pan up yet, just let the garlic sit there and bathe in the olive oil for a bit, this will help get the garlic flavor into the oil. You listening? These are grandma cooking secrets... it's important stuff


While the garlic is bathing in the olive oil, chop up (1) large Vedalia onion as fine as you can.


Heat the oil and garlic - medium heat. Heat until you see little bubbles around the garlic. (DO NOT OVER COOK THE GARLIC) When you see the little bubbles around the garlic add the chopped up onions and lower the heat to medium low. Be sure to do this as soon as you see the little bubbles around the edges of the garlic ~ This is Important!


Simmer at low heat, the oil, garlic and onions for about 5 minutes. While the onion, garlic and oil are simmering add 1 tsp. Oregano, 1/2 tsp. Sweet Basil, a dash of Salt and Pepper and mix well.


Spoon in (1) 6 oz. can of Tomato Paste. Fill this 6 oz. tomato paste can with water, stir it up good to get all the paste off the inside of the can and add it to the pot. Turn the heat back up to medium. Mix well until paste is liquefied and mixed well with the garlic and onions. Simmer for about 4 minutes. (Be sure to stir the sauce constantly for these 4 minutes) I call this Italian Roux. At this point you should add a touch of salt, black pepper and 1/2 tsp. of Oregano.


Add (2) 14.5 oz. cans of Diced Tomatoes and (1) 14.5 oz. can of Petite Tomatoes. Mix well and simmer for 10 more minutes. Stir every couple of minutes. While simmering add 1 tsp. Oregano (yes, again), 1/2 tsp. Sweet Basil, 1-1/2 tsp. fresh chopped parsley, just a dash of Cajun Seasoning, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder and a dash of course black pepper. Also, this is a good time to turn up the music and start drinking some red wine ;-)


Add the second 6 oz. Tomato Paste. Fill this 6 oz. tomato paste can with water, stir it up good to get all the paste off the inside of the can and add it to the pot. Mix well and heat for another 15 minutes or so. At this point you should add a little salt and pepper. The heat should be set to medium heat, the sauce should not be boiling, if boiling turn down heat just a little. Also be sure to stir sauce every minute or so, you don't want anything sticking to the bottom of the pan in this part of the sauce making process. :-) Make sure the paste is mixed in well. When you add the tomato paste at this point, it's going to clump together, get a wooden spoon and squeeze the paste up against the side of the pan to mix the paste in well with the sauce.


Add (5) 15 oz. cans of Tomato Sauce or Puree ("Hunts". Mix well. Fill all (5) of these cans 1/2 full of water, stir it up good to get all the sauce off the inside of the cans, then add this to the sauce. Mix the sauce again. Now Add 1 tsp. Oregano (yes, again), Important note about adding oregano and sweet basil, when adding this to the sauce, pour the herbs in the palm or your hand and with your other hand rub hard to grind up the seasoning, this brings out the flavor a little more. Also add 1 tsp. fresh parsley, 1 tsp. sweet basil and 1/4 tsp. garlic powder. Mix well. Keep at medium heat and cover pan. Be sure the sauce is not at a rapid boil. A little boiling is OK but not too much. Heat should be at medium or lower. You want to keep the medium heat on the sauce while you make the Meatballs.

OK, if you have been doing the math, you should have added by now a grand total of approximately 49.5 oz. of water. Actually this does not have to be exact, can be more or less. Adding the water helps you cook the sauce longer so you can better cook the meat.

*** Don't forget to keep stirring the sauce every 3 minutes or so while you're making the Meat Balls ~ This is Important!


Add 1/3 cup red wine and mix well. This is an important step! Let simmer (almost boiling) for about 15 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

At this point in your culinary adventure you will want to drop in (1) Bay Leaf, mix this sauce well after dropping in the bay leaf. To add a little fun you may want to toss the bay leaf over your back and see if you can make it into the pot


OK, you're doing great! Now wipe the sweat of your forehead and lets get those Meatballs going before the sauce burns....!

Just let the sauce simmer (not boiling) while you're preparing the meatballs. It could take you about 1/2 hour to finish the Meatballs.

*** Important Note: About 10 minutes before you put the Meatballs into the sauce you will need to add (2) Tsp's of sugar. Sprinkle this in slowly while you're stirring the sauce. Mix the sauce well after adding the sugar. ~ This is Important!

Very Important Tip: When frying the Meat Balls and Pork Chops you MUST have a very good Non-Stick pan. Believe me, this helps! However, keep in mind, if you use a non-stick pan you will ruin it over time because you need very high heat on the pan to brown the meats and non-stick pans do not like high heat. What I recommend is a well seasoned iron skillet. (It's what grandma used!) The best for browning the meatballs, pork chops, sausage and braciole! Check out this very helpful Irreplaceable Cast Iron Pans page. A lot of good tips on how to care for your cast iron skillets.

Important Note: Before you make the Meat Balls you need to add the Pork Chops to the Mix.... Remember as I said in the beginning of the recipe; "(2) Pork Chops (Average size thin with bone) This comes into the recipe when you start making the Meatballs" hey.. Here we are :-))

Pork Chops: Add a little olive oil to the pan. Take the (2) thin Pork Chops and fry them in a pan. Cook on high heat for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, enough to sear and brown the chops on both sides. Add the chops to the sauce and stir. You want them to cook in the sauce while you're making the Meatballs. ~ Now you can move onto the Meatballs...


OK, Here is the stuff you will need for the Meatballs: (Yields approximately 12 to 14 balls. )




•1 lb. Ground Chuck (80/20) - (This means with 20% fat, you want at least 20% fat. Do not use lean meat for the balls!)

•1 egg

•1 slice of dark wheat bread with crust

•1/4 cup bread crumbs (Recommend "Progresso" Italian style)

•1/4 cup fresh finely chopped parsley

•1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano!)

•3 cloves finely chopped fresh garlic
•1/4 tsp. garlic powder

•A dash of coarse black pepper and Salt (more pepper than salt)

•A couple splashes of red wine

•1/2 tsp. sweet basil
•1 to 1-1/2 cup chopped salt pork - Also called Fatback (you will use this when you brown the meatballs)




Important note about the Salt Pork! The salt pork is an extremely important part of the entire sauce and is a must when browning all the meats. When you brown your meatballs, you must fry up some salt pork first so you can have a good amount of salt pork grease in the pan to brown the meatballs in. It also makes your cast iron pan nice and slippery so the meatballs don't stick. You will use these tasty pieces of fried salt pork later on with the Braciole! You will need to use about 1 to 1-1/2 cups of chopped salt pork. You want to produce enough salt pork grease to cover the bottom of the pan. Here is the method for this deep dark Italian grandma secret! Secret grandma tip: Be sure to chop up the salt pork into 1/2" pieces. Keep the grease in the pan and put the small fried salt pork bits on a paper towel to drain.

Note: I do not recommend making the meatballs the night before. They are best when made fresh, browned and put in the sauce immediately after browning. I've tried preparing the meatballs the night before and have not been happy with the results.


Don't forget to keep stirring the sauce every 3 minutes or so while you're making the meatballs, and make sure it's not boiling. Ideally, you want the sauce at a point where it's almost boiling. You'll have to check the temperature often. ~ This is Important!

Get a big bowl and put the 1 lb. of ground chuck in it. It's very important to have 1 lb. of ground chuck and not more or less. This recipe works best with 1 lb. of ground chuck. If you want more meatballs, just double the meatballs recipe.


Chop up 1/4 cup of fresh Parsley as fine as you can. Fresh parsley is extremely important, the dried up stuff in a bottle is not parsley, it's just green stuff they find on the ground at factories. Add the parsley to the bowl. Don't mix anything yet. You're going to add all this stuff and mix when your done.


Add (1) Egg to bowl.


Chop up (2) large or (3) small cloves of garlic as fine as you possibly can and add to bowl.


Add 1/3 cup of Parmesan Cheese to the bowl.

*** Don't forget to keep stirring the sauce every 3 minutes or so while you're making the Meat Balls. ~ This is Important!


Take your (1) slice of dark wheat bread and rub it under the faucet and get it soaking wet. Then squeeze as much of the water as you can out of the bread. The bread should be a gooey consistency. What I call meatball glue, this is very important. Break the bread up into the bowl. At this point you need to also add about about 1/4 cup of bread crumbs.


Add coarse black pepper, salt, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, a splash of red wine and about 1 tsp. of sweet basil.


*** Don't forget to keep stirring the sauce every 3 minutes or so while you're making the Meat Balls. ~ This is Important!

OK, Lets get your hands dirty.

Mix all the ingredients in the bowl well. You will need to work the meat for about 3 minutes until you end up with a big relatively firm ball. You are shooting for the consistency of play dough. If the meatball mixture is still wet you might need to add just a little bit more bread crumbs, but not too much. however it's OK for the balls to be a little wet, you just don't want the meatball mixture wet to the point of being mushy. Only way I can explain it. You also don't want the meatballs too dry either. You have to make these just right. It will take practice.


VERY IMPORTANT STEP! Chop up the salt pork into 1/2" small bits and fry it up in the cast iron skillet so you get enough salt pork grease to fill the bottom of the pan. Then take your meatball mix and make 1-1/2" to 2" balls. Roll them around in your hand and try to make them as firm as possible. You might want to start out with 1-1/2" balls the first time you make them. 1-1/2" balls are easier to handle. What I mean... is they don't fall apart as easy. Also what I use is two flat wooden spoons to roll the balls around while browning. Important note: The meatballs will not be perfectly round when your done searing them, you may have some odd shape balls, but don't worry about it, you're more concerned about the taste. :-)


Get the pan very hot, heat should be on medium high to high, you will probably add a lot of smoke to your house at this point, if you are not getting a LOT of smoke from the browning meatballs, you don't have the heat high enough. I usually open the windows and put a fan in the window for this part. It can get that smoky! You want to sear the meat to a dark brown. Be careful with the balls at first, you don't want them to fall apart. They should be cooked to a point where you can roll them around the pan and have them appear to be firm.

*** Important Note: Did you put the (2) Tsp's of sugar into the sauce like you where directed just prior to making the Meatballs? If not, do it now! This is an important step.


When the meatballs appear to be seared well and firm take them right from the frying pan into the sauce. Grease is an important ingredient to the flavor of the sauce. Especially salt pork grease! (If you're worried about cholesterol and fat then don't eat Italian food. :-)

OK, Stay with me now...

Sausage!!! Did I mention the sausage yet? This is not a must, but definitely adds flavour to the sauce! If you want to add sausage to the sauce, click here for directions and photos of the process :-) You need to boil them, then brown them before adding to the sauce. If you choose not to add the sausage, I do recommend throwing in about 1/2 tsp. of Fennel Seeds. But really, you should add the sausage. You should add the sausage when you add the meatballs. Note: As a standard, I always make the meatballs and the sausage when making the sauce, leaving the pork chops and braciole as options if I have the extra time.

*** Now that you have added the meats to the sauce, you will not need to stir the sauce as much ~ This is Important! *** From this point on when you stir the sauce, stir gently, remember that you now have precious meats in the sauce and you don't want to break them up when their cooking in the sauce. Be nice to the meat! When you stir from this point on, you will push a wooden spoon down the sides of the pot to the bottom then slowly stir towards the center. You don't want to just dive your spoon into the middle of the pot, you can break up the meats that way.


Now you should have your chops and the balls (and the braciole and sausage, if you're making it) in the sauce and the heat should be at medium low, a little boiling is OK. Important Note: At this point it is important to make sure the sauce is not boiling to much, just a very low boil, a little bubbles here and there. Now let the sauce simmer with all the meats on medium or lower heat uncovered for about 30 min. Gently stirring occasionally. (You will not be covering the pot at any time during cooking).

OK, now taste the sauce... Oh that's a good!!!! Important Tip: This is where you would add more spices to your liking. Sometimes at this point, I might add a little bit more basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. But you taste it and see for yourself. It may be just right at this point in regards to taste, but your not done cooking it yet!!!

Now simmer on low-med heat for another 2 to 3 hours or so uncovered. The timing on this varies. What you want to avoid is having a watery sauce, so cook it long enough for the sauce to get thick and all the meats to get tender. The more you cook the more tender the meat gets anyway :-) Be sure to stir occasionally during this entire time, a little boiling is OK. Occasionally = every 5 - 10 minutes ~ this is REALLY important! Be sure to check for grease/oil puddles each time before you stir and remove all you can. When you get to the third hour of cooking the sauce, you must be even more careful with your stirring because now the meats will be tender.


Important note: If you are not getting puddles of grease on top of the sauce after 2 hour of simmering, you may need to have longer periods of time between stirring. Sometimes you have to let the sauce simmer for a good 15 min. or so without stirring to get some of the grease to rise to the top so you can spoon it off. This is a very important step! You should end up removing 1 to 2 cups of grease from the sauce.

Important tip: To remove the grease from the sauce you must do the following. Press a table spoon into the sauce bottom side of the spoon dipping into the sauce until the lip of the spoon just enters the grease puddle. The grease will then pour into he spoon. Then you pour that spoon full of grease into a coffee mug and take some more grease out until there is no more grease puddle. Then you carefully stir the sauce again and let it simmer some more. You will keep doing this through the entire cooking process.

The sauce is done when it is the consistency of apple sauce. Only way I can explain it. For me, the sauce is usually done when it's been cooking for about 3 hours after I have put the meats in the sauce.

holy sheet that's long. And is every single step "important"?