Marinara sauce

[trev]

I'd love to see your favorite marinara sauce recipes posted here. I'm in need of a no fail, versatile sauce that can be used in lasagna, something that you can add meatballs, ground beef or italian sausage to, or just use with spaghetti. Maybe something slightly spicey, but that kids would like.

[PSUFAN]

Recipe?

I'm a pretty good cook. I have developed a good feel for what is in the pan. I like to do a red sauce a little differently each time. I do, however, always try to use sea salt, mucho garlic, good fresh tomatoes (or good canned stewed ones), and fresh oregano and basil. Often I'm adding some cruciferous veggies if they are on hand, and mushrooms. I generally am able to blow my wife away with my concoctions, but...the kids won't get near them.

I generally screw up recipes.

[trev]

If I want veggies in my sauce, I blend the sauce up in the blender. The kids aren't into the chucky style sauce, sadly. But I guess I could experiment like you do. But I'd like a no fail sauce I can turn to. I have my mom in law's family sauce in my head, but it's pretty spicey. Has a lot of green pepper. I love it, but it's not kid friendly. As the kids get older, I often have a slew of growing boys over here to feed, and they love pasta, etc. Gotta keep em happy.

[Biggie]

The kids aren't into the chucky style sauce, sadly.

What did she say?

[trev]

hehe.

[ppanther]

This one is excellent:

(Courtesy Tyler Florence)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano, dried
1 teaspoons basil, dried
1 whole bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Over medium heat, heat oil in a large pot until hot. Add onion and garlic, saute for 3 to 5 minutes until the onions begin to appear translucent. Add the tomatoes, stir to mingle the flavors. Add in the herbs and bay leaves. Sprinkle in sugar, salt and pepper. Lower the heat and continue to simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered. Stir occasionally.

[trev]

That looks perfect, easy and kid friendly.

Thank you.

[Variable]

I do one almost the exact same as ppanther's, except I use another can of tomatoes (chopped or stewed) and a can of tomato paste. The canned tomatoes can sometimes be lacking in flavor (which I'm guessing is why she simmers them for 30 minutes) and I find that by adding the paste, you get the flavor and you cook it in about half the time. I should also add that I blaze the tomatoes and tomato paste in a Cuisinart before adding them to the other ingredients.

I also use a trick to "fix" store bought sauce. We get the Costco Prego spaghetti sauce because I don't always want to cook and it's easy. But, I still want it to taste like homemade, so I add two cans of chopped or stewed tomatoes and a can of tomato paste(Cuisinart-ed, of course). I also usually add a teaspoon of onion powder, garlic powder, some italian herbs and black pepper.

[Red]

If you can find it in your local grocery store, instead of canned tomatoes, buy a product called "Pomi." It is fresh, Italian tomatoes packed in a foil-lined box. The freshness makes a world of difference in the marinara. My other top-secret ingredient in marinara is about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of red wine. My girlfriend is Sicilian and says my sauce is better than her mother's (:softball:)... who is the best cook I know.

[Hobbes]

I don't have a recipe per se, but give this a try:
Add a pinch of ground cinnamon to your favorite sauce. You can thank me later.

[JCT]

Anyone that throws ground meat into sauce should be shot, hanged drawn and quartered.

Sauce


1/4 Cup Plus 3 Tablespoon Olive Oil
7 Cloves Garlic -- Peeled And Sliced
1 Pinch Crushed Red Pepper
6 6 Ounce Cans Tomato Paste
2 Sprigs Oregano
1 Teaspoon Salt
9 Whole Basil Leaves
1/8 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
12 Cans Water From Tomato Paste Cans
2 28 Ounce Cans Of Tomato Puree
1 28 Ounce Can crushed tomatoes
1 28 Ounce Can tomato sauce
1 Cans Water From Whole Tomato Can
1 Recipe Meatballs
4 Each Beef Short ribs
1 Pound Italian Sausage
1 /4 Cup Romano cheese







Place the 1/4 cups of olive oil in a very large heavy bottomed saucepot over medium heat. Sauté the garlic for about 1 minute or until slightly golden. Add the tomato paste and fry it with the garlic for 5 minutes or until the paste is bubbling, constantly stirring so as not to burn it. Stir in the 12 tomato paste cans of water and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until thick. Add the pureed tomatoes, the 1 1/2 tomato cans of water, the oregano, salt, cheese, basil and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil then lower the heat so that the sauce barely simmers.

Place a wooden spoon under the cover to keep the pot partially opened. While the sauce cooks, place the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and begin to brown the ribs and sausage evenly on all sides. After the sauce has been simmering over low heat for 2 hours, add the meats to it, being careful not to break the meatballs Make sure the meat is completely covered by the sauce and continue to cook for 1 to 1 1.2 hour more hours, stirring periodically, always careful not to break the meatballs. When the sauce is ready, skim the excess oil from the top, adjust the seasoning and serve.



Meatballs


3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Small White Onions -- Peeled And Chopped
3 Cloves Garlic -- Peeled And Chopped
1 Pound Ground Beef
1 Pound Ground Veal
1/2 Pound Ground Pork
1 1/4 Cups Bread Crumbs
3/4 Cup Pecorino Romano -- Grated
12 Sprigs Italian Parsley -- Chopped
8 Extra Large Eggs
Salt And Pepper -- To Taste

Place 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic in it for 3 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Set aside and allow to cool. In a large bowl, mix together the three meats with the bread crumbs, cheese, the cooled onion and garlic, parsley, salt and pepper and eggs. Shape the mixture into medium sized ovals, the size of extra large eggs.
You should end up with about 22 meatballs. Put the meatball on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Yield 2 dozen meatballs



Odds & Ends


With the sauce, maybe add a splash of wine and a bit of sugar. I usually try to get tomatoes from an Italian store, the paste too if they have it. You can use tomato puree or crushed tomatoes; I have been using a 3 to 1 of puree to crushed. Getting 3 28 oz cans of puree and 1 28 oz can of crushed.

That recipe is from my grandmother. Or one of her sisters. I don't know, we been making it like that since well before I was born. It might even be from my great grandmother.

[Red]

I don't have a recipe per se, but give this a try:
Add a pinch of ground cinnamon to your favorite sauce. You can thank me later.

That's what I get for listening to someone on the innernet. A fucking pot of marinara crossed with molé sauce.

[trev]

Anyone tried Cincinatti chili? I think it has a lot of cinnamon in it, and it's very different and good. It's pretty much unheard of in California, but when I go back to the midwest I like to get it. It's best with grated cheddar cheese and onions on top. It's called chili, but served on top on spaghetti.

[Mikey]

Anyone that throws ground meat into sauce should be shot, hanged drawn and quartered.

Sauce


1/4 Cup Plus 3 Tablespoon Olive Oil
7 Cloves Garlic -- Peeled And Sliced
1 Pinch Crushed Red Pepper
6 6 Ounce Cans Tomato Paste
2 Sprigs Oregano
1 Teaspoon Salt
9 Whole Basil Leaves
1/8 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
12 Cans Water From Tomato Paste Cans
2 28 Ounce Cans Of Tomato Puree
1 28 Ounce Can crushed tomatoes
1 28 Ounce Can tomato sauce
1 Cans Water From Whole Tomato Can
1 Recipe Meatballs
4 Each Beef Short ribs
1 Pound Italian Sausage
1 /4 Cup Romano cheese







Place the 1/4 cups of olive oil in a very large heavy bottomed saucepot over medium heat. Sauté the garlic for about 1 minute or until slightly golden. Add the tomato paste and fry it with the garlic for 5 minutes or until the paste is bubbling, constantly stirring so as not to burn it. Stir in the 12 tomato paste cans of water and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until thick. Add the pureed tomatoes, the 1 1/2 tomato cans of water, the oregano, salt, cheese, basil and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil then lower the heat so that the sauce barely simmers.

Place a wooden spoon under the cover to keep the pot partially opened. While the sauce cooks, place the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and begin to brown the ribs and sausage evenly on all sides. After the sauce has been simmering over low heat for 2 hours, add the meats to it, being careful not to break the meatballs Make sure the meat is completely covered by the sauce and continue to cook for 1 to 1 1.2 hour more hours, stirring periodically, always careful not to break the meatballs. When the sauce is ready, skim the excess oil from the top, adjust the seasoning and serve.



Meatballs


3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Small White Onions -- Peeled And Chopped
3 Cloves Garlic -- Peeled And Chopped
1 Pound Ground Beef
1 Pound Ground Veal
1/2 Pound Ground Pork
1 1/4 Cups Bread Crumbs
3/4 Cup Pecorino Romano -- Grated
12 Sprigs Italian Parsley -- Chopped
8 Extra Large Eggs
Salt And Pepper -- To Taste

Place 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic in it for 3 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Set aside and allow to cool. In a large bowl, mix together the three meats with the bread crumbs, cheese, the cooled onion and garlic, parsley, salt and pepper and eggs. Shape the mixture into medium sized ovals, the size of extra large eggs.
You should end up with about 22 meatballs. Put the meatball on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Yield 2 dozen meatballs



Odds & Ends


With the sauce, maybe add a splash of wine and a bit of sugar. I usually try to get tomatoes from an Italian store, the paste too if they have it. You can use tomato puree or crushed tomatoes; I have been using a 3 to 1 of puree to crushed. Getting 3 28 oz cans of puree and 1 28 oz can of crushed.

That recipe is from my grandmother. Or one of her sisters. I don't know, we been making it like that since well before I was born. It might even be from my great grandmother.

That's a keeper.

[Baceña]

adding a little bit of carrot can add a nice sweet flavor to a simple red sauce

[The Whistle Is Screaming]

Thanks for the tips, but I rarely have time (or too lazy) to do sauce from scratch. Mrs. TWIS and I have been getting in the habit of making lasagna or ziti together on Sundays, so when we typically use this...



If ya gota get something from the store, Newmans is the best I've found so far.

[ppanther]

Thanks for the tips, but I rarely have time (or too lazy) to do sauce from scratch.

It takes 10 minutes of prep (tops) and 30 minutes of simmering... you don't have time for that? The taste is so superior to anything from a jar, and you can add as much of everything as you want.

Ah well... not everyone can be really really really good. ;)

[Mikey]

When I want something really quick to throw on some pasta I just take a decent "jar" sauce, rinse the jar with about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of red wine, add a little EVOO and a bunch of sliced 'shrooms, and simmer for about 10 or 15 min.

[The Whistle Is Screaming]

pp,
It's got nothing to do with being really really good, it's about time. Time is a funny thing with a 1 yo & a 5 yo., I keep losing it. I rush home to meet the 5 yo & get dinner going, so during the week it is fast and easy meals. On the weekends we usually eat out either Friday or Saturday night, sometimes both. So Sunday night is the only night I can plan and take time to cook & try new things and sometimes I just don't feel like it.

[Baceña]

on those sundays you do feel like cooking, you could prepare two easy soups, a red sauce for later in the week and possibly a chicken dish or some sort of a stew. Invest in some Ziploc containers and reheat the stuff as needed out of the fridge or freezer.

RACK ME

[Stiletto]

When I want something really quick to throw on some pasta I just take a decent "jar" sauce, rinse the jar with about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of red wine, add a little EVOO and a bunch of sliced 'shrooms, and simmer for about 10 or 15 min.

Believe it or not, Hunts makes a pretty decent canned sauce. I get the 4 CHEESE kind, add a can of Del Monte petite cut diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil and then slice 2 cloves of fresh garlic thin into the sauce and simmer while the angel hair pasta cooks. Sargento Fancy parmesan in a bag for garnish.

In a pinch for time... add a salad and italian bread and red wine and it's a meal in the amount of time it takes for the pasta to cook.

[lovebuzz]

DAMN JCT.

that recipe's not only a keeper, it's perfect.

rack my fellow ass chin.

[Variable]

Time is a funny thing with a 1 yo & a 5 yo

I've got a 3 kids, the youngest of whom is 3. Sounds like your schedule and mine are pretty similar, but the way I figure, there's ALWAYS time if I make it a priority.

I always try to live by the rule "There are few things in life that we can actually control, and the quality of the food we eat is one of them."

[Wolfman]

I stopped bothering to make
home made sauce a long time ago--
this stuff:
Bertolli's Marinara with Burgandy Wine
fills the bill for us !!

[C-Squared]

Emeril's Vodka sauce is the shit. Sautee some onions in olive oil, garlic as well, dump the sauce in. I like a sweet sauce so a touch or 3 of sugar does the trick for me. Let simmer till your pasta is ready.

**JCT blast regarding sauce from a jar/can coming in 3....2...1.**

[SaladTosser]

I've been using this recipe for the last few months. It's a bit time-consuming, but it's nails. The meatball recipe is also excellent.


http://www.spaghettisauceandmeatballs.com