"spaghetti-sauce"-thoughts

[tamidw]

Mine always starts out ground beef cooked with onions and garlic. Then add tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste to what I need, the from there I will go with basil, oregano, other spices for spaghetti or I will go with cumin and pepper seasonings for chili. Sometimes I add Italian sweet sausage with ground beef for spaghetti. Occasionally mushrooms for my husband. I always call it spaghetti or chili sauce. Sometimes I add celery and bell pepper but not often, only when I have the, or think of it.

[Old Glory]

When I'm being a purist I follow my Italian Grandmother's recipe.

Olive Oil
Onions
Garlic
Bay Leaf
Best Quality ground and peeled tomatoes you can find. My Mom used Kitchen Ready
Tomato paste
Salt and Pepper

Saute onions, garlic. Add tomatoes and paste, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer all day adding water to keep it loose.

If not being a purist I add whatever I want chicken, ground beef, mushrooms, sausage. Never carrots.

Like others have said do whatever makes you happy and tastes good!

[theroc]

A meat sauce that is heavier on tomatoes reminds me more of a ragu Napoletano. But sauces are all about variation, and everyone seems to add their own choice of vegetables. I'd just call it delicious.

[jlazar]

Mosca Your recipe has a lot of the same items as my marinara. I will have to try my recipe to include some of your items (balsamic, mushrooms, beef, etc),

John's Marinara Sauce

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 sweet onions minced

2-3 teaspoons garlic minced jar

4 teaspoons Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons table salt

1 tablespoon sugar

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 can chicken broth

2 (28-ounce) cans crushed San Marzano with juice

4 (15-ounce) cans tomato purée

Heat a large heavy pot with olive oil, allow to heat up, and then add onions. Cook until onions are transparent, soft, and not browned. Add the garlic and cook for two minutes more.

Add everything. Bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer and cook uncovered for 60-90 minutes to reduce. Stir every 10-15 minutes. Don't let the sauce burn at the bottom of the pot.

[SheilaAnn]

My dad did most the cooking when I was growing up. One of his dishes was Shpaghetti sauce. No, that is not a typo. Jarred sauce and he would add ground beef, onions, green peppers and canned mushrooms. I, too, never knew any different until I saw I was out of the house.

I do not use green peppers and I use fresh mushrooms.

[Mojo0209]

Garden grown tomatoes, A mix of Romas, San Marzanos and others, fresh garlic, diced onions and a mix of italic seasonings. Simmered some meatballs and Barese sausage. Good for a Sunday cook.

[Murdy]

We do something similar; however, we brown the meat along with some garlic, onions, and whatever before the sauce goes in. Often, the meat is bulk Italian sausage rather than ground beef. We never use green pepper (tends to take over the dish), but frequently add black olives. And lots of basil, but only light oregano (oregano is for pizza sauce).

[Mosca]

Murdy tamidw And that is specifically why I add green pepper! That’s what makes the world go ‘round… But you know what? It’s also an insight into the answer to my original question. Controversial ingredients don’t play well in restaurants. That’s why you don’t get anchovies in red sauce, either.

[Mosca]

(2) Back in the 70s my parents took us to a restaurant that they went to when my dad was in college in the late 40s and early 50s. They raved about it. So I got spaghetti and meatballs, and I was all anticipating how good it would be, and the sauce was very anchovy heavy. Because that’s how they made it back in the 30s and 40s. Can’t do that today.

[tamidw]

Don't get me wrong, I do love green peppers, but some dishes are overpowered by it. So I use it carefully in some. But give me a philly cheesesteak with lots of sautéed peppers and onions on it and I'm happy!

[Beefchop]

I use Clemenza's recipe from The Godfather. Because, ya' never know, you might have to cook for 20 guys someday. Especially if you go to the mattresses.

[WillTravelForFood]

Rumor is Costco is selling Rao's Marinara for about $8/two jars this month. What a steal!

[SheilaAnn]

We were just there yesterday. I saw it, but didn’t see a price. If I were forced to eat a jar sauce, Rao’s is my go to. It is a steal as that size jar usually goes for $7-9 for just one jar.

[efincoop]

I base my version off my Italian mother's sauce recipe since that is what I grew up on. I leave out the pork spare ribs and Italian sausage which she would brown in a fry pan and add to the sauce with pan juices after deglazing the pan. She would also fry a green pepper in 2-3 large pieces, I usually leave that out too.

My Sauce

• 2 - 108 oz (or 4-28 oz) Cans Plum Tomatoes (San Marzano preferred)
• 4 - 8 oz cans of Tomato Paste
• Meatballs
• 3-4 cloves of garlic minced or pressed
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• ½ cup of red wine (use to rinse the tomato cans out. Use to deglaze the pan after cooking the meatball, then reduce to thicken and add to the sauce)

Meatballs

• 3lbs Ground Chuck
• 1 ½ lbs Ground Pork (use more lean fat)
• 3 ½ Cups Fresh Breadcrumbs (used 2-2 ½)
• ¼ Cup Locatelli Romano Cheese (used â…“ cup grated parmesan reggiano)
• 10 Eggs (used 6 eggs)
• 1 ½ tsp Minced Garlic (used 5 cloves of garlic)
• 1 Cup Chopped Parsley (used ½ cup because that’s all the store had)
• Black Pepper & salt to Taste

[Mosca]

Doggone those meatballs look awesome. 10 eggs does seem like too many. Even 6 looks like a lot.

[efincoop]

Mosca feel free to adjust the mixture as you see fit. if you try them tell me what you think!

[TripleB]

I make a plain marinara or tomato sauce first and I start with 5 lbs of tomatoes. Once the sauce is made, into the fridge it will go. From there, depending on what we want to eat and how much sauce I need, in goes the garlic, fresh basil, cream, ground chuck, sausage, etc. Whatever tomato sauce is left over after a week or two goes into the freezer.