Hey there GC, I thought I'd share with you guys my recipe for pasta sauce that is practically from scratch. It only takes about one hour to make and will last you for several meals. It's perfect for starting the process, smoking a bowl or three, and then finishing the process. YOU WILL NEED: 2 28oz cans of tomato PUREE (Very important. Do not get paste, diced tomatoes or anything else). I use Contadina, but Kroger/Tops/A&P/Wegman's/Piggly Wiggly/Publix brands are perfectly good substitutes. 1 large peeled onion 4 cloves of garlic 2 stalks of celery 3 medium sized carrots (the kind you find in a standard 1 lb bag) 1 beef soup bone 3 hot Italian sausages 3 bay leaves Oregano Basil Parsley flakes Black pepper Olive oil THE PROCEDURE: -Take a small frying pan and heat up a little bit of olive oil. Use this to brown your three sausages, the soup bone, and the onion. No need to cook these things thoroughly here, as they will be in the sauce for duration of the process. -Now, as the meats and onion are browning, put your tomato puree into a large sauce pot and begin heating it on low. Get every last bit of puree out of your empty cans by filling them about 1/3 of the way with water and swishing it around. Put the additional liquid into your sauce pot. -Add in your browned meat and onion. Also, the oil mixed with these ingredients will create some fatty juices. Add those in as well, trust me. -Clean and skin your carrots and celery, then chop them into thirds and put them in the sauce. -Skin the garlic cloves, but do NOT cut them up. Just a simple smash and peel will do the trick. Add them in. -Add in the 3 bay leaves. -Add in gratuitous amounts of basil/oregano/parsley flakes (the amount here is subjective, depends on what you like) -Sprinkle in some black pepper. Don't use as much pepper as the other spices, but you want enough so it adds to the flavor. -Stir everything up, cover the large sauce pot and turn the heat to high. You want to bring your sauce to a boil at this point. -Once it has reached boiling point, I let it cook for about another five minutes and then I stir the sauce again and put the heat on medium low. -For the next 50 minutes, stir your sauce every 10 or so to avoid burning. You may also re-season if you feel the need. The sauce will start to taste the way it's supposed to toward the end of the process, when all of the flavors have infused together. Congratulations, in about an hour you have some legitimate pasta sauce from a recipe created in Rivisondoli, Italy. Enjoy.
This sounds very similar to my recipe but I do it a bit different. I don't want to steal your thread but just for some ideas to try I'll throw in a few of my ideas. I mince and smash my garlic, use fresh oregano and basil from my garden and add a half can of beer and 4-6 oz of chianti to the pot instead of the water and let that all reduce as the sauce simmers. I also add mushrooms to mine. I don't use carrots or celery but I will definatly try the soup bone sauteed in olive oil. That sounds delicious.
Sounds good. I dont use any carrot or celery in mine, but i add green pepper and some fresh button mushrooms. I also like to do meatballs instead of sausage or browned beef in the sauce. I make some standard italian style meatballs, sear them in olive oil to get a good crust, and them put them into the sauce to simmer for another 30 minutes or so to finish them off in the middle, and it adds a great flavor to the sauce.
Ha no worries mate, you can never go wrong with using fresh peppers anyway. And I love cooking with alcohol, really brings out awesome flavors in various meats and foods. I actually use a full 12 oz pilsner or American lager when I cook chili. As for the carrots and celery, I take 'em out at the end and wipe noodles on them to get the extra sauce. I forget what my grandmother told me about celery, but I know carrots reduce acids and also sweeten the sauce. Since I'm an anti-sugar-in-pasta-sauce kind of guy, it works for me. I'm a noob at meatballs though. How do you cook yours if you don't mind my asking? My mom is really skilled when it comes to meatballs with a little bit of a tangy bite, but I never bothered writing down the recipe since I eat spicy sausage so much more often. Hell, last time I made a sloppy joe mixture, I used 1 lb of beef and 1 lb of sausage, haha.
This is really different from what I've picked up from cooking, but kinda similar... I'd also add a little bit of White Wine and Cinnamon (I've heard of sugar to make it sweet, but a tsp. of Cinnamon is good - you can taste it and it's a nice contrast)... My family is Northern Italian so we don't use any other meat but Grounded Beef, no Sausage - Also, one can of paste is never bad as puree can be a little weak. ... As you said, very subjective taste though. The consistency takes a couple tries to get perfect, too.