Today was Sauce making day

[fredtgreco]

I have Tuesdays off while my wife teaches math at the local homeschool co-op. Today, instead of working from home, or pushing the younger two (Paul and Abby) to do copious schoolwork, I made sauce with some helpers.

To make sauce in a true Italian fashion you must:

• make a huge quantity
• not follow a written recipe
• use plenty of meat in the sauce
• cook it a long time (at least 10 hours)

This was the finished product:

Here are my helpers making meatballs:

 

[NaphtaliPress]

Looks great. Quantity I get; but I'm lost without a recipe; any clues Fred?

 

[Herald]

Abundanza!

 

[Berean]

I can smell it!

 

[fredtgreco]

Looks great. Quantity I get; but I'm lost without a recipe; any clues Fred?

There is a method, Chris. You just don't follow a strict paper recipe.

 

[ewenlin]

Care to share with us your non-paper, non-written recipe?

 

[Andres]

I salivated a little. sorry.

 

[SolaScriptura]

Come on, Fred! Don't be a tease! Share the general gist of the recipe!

 

[BobVigneault]

Some of my most treasured memories were of making sauce and meatballs with my dad. You did a great thing Pastor Fred and it looks delicious. A pot of sauce THAT big is a gift that keeps on giving. Well done sir.

 

[Blue Tick]

I'll be over shortly with the salsiccia!

 

[Herald]

Ah, growing up with a Sicilian mother every Sunday was sauce day. My mom cooked it all day long. The brasiole and sausage...I can still smell them. Also, rigatoni, not spaghetti.

 

[puritanpilgrim]

What I love about a well done sauce is that it actually tastes better after a day in the fridge.

 

[HokieAirman]

You owe me a new keyboard...mine got wet and shorted out...like Andres, I salivated...

j/k!

 

[fredtgreco]

Come on, Fred! Don't be a tease! Share the general gist of the recipe!

Here you go:

1. Get a huge pot
2. Put some olive oil in the pot and then put a good quantity of meat (an inexpensive cut of beef/steak is good). Pour/sprinkle in seasonings (oregano, basil, salt, pepper, garlic salt, etc). Cover the pot and brown the meat.
3. Cut up a couple of huge green peppers and an onion in big chunks. Add them to the browning meat once the meat is mostly browned.
4. Add large quantities of tomato sauce and tomato paste. Add more seasoning. Add some sugar.
5. Start a second boiling pot and boil some Italian sausage. After the sausage is boiled, add it to the main pot.
6. Get your wife to make 5-6 dozen meatballs. Have them browned and then add them to the sauce.
7. Cook over low heat for the next 10-12 hours, stir, taste and add seasonings as you go along (this is the non-paper recipe part).
8. When the time is done, take it off the heat and let it cool.
9. Then freeze whatever you do not use that day

 

[DeoOpt]

fettucini alfredo sauce

fettucini alfredo sauce.

1lb of butter

1lb of cream cheese

heavy wipping cream

Parmigian cheese

Ramano cheese

garlic

sweet vermooth


Melt butter with garlic and mix in creem cheese untill soupy add heavy wipping cream about 2 pints stir
add parmigan and ramano cheese add sweet vermooth 1-2 tbl spoons

yummy

 

[NaphtaliPress]

Thanks Fred. On #2 is that cubed/chunked or ground meat? If not ground, would short ribs work?

Come on, Fred! Don't be a tease! Share the general gist of the recipe!

Here you go:

1. Get a huge pot
2. Put some olive oil in the pot and then put a good quantity of meat (an inexpensive cut of beef/steak is good). Pour/sprinkle in seasonings (oregano, basil, salt, pepper, garlic salt, etc). Cover the pot and brown the meat.
3. Cut up a couple of huge green peppers and an onion in big chunks. Add them to the browning meat once the meat is mostly browned.
4. Add large quantities of tomato sauce and tomato paste. Add more seasoning. Add some sugar.
5. Start a second boiling pot and boil some Italian sausage. After the sausage is boiled, add it to the main pot.
6. Get your wife to make 5-6 dozen meatballs. Have them browned and then add them to the sauce.
7. Cook over low heat for the next 10-12 hours, stir, taste and add seasonings as you go along (this is the non-paper recipe part).
8. When the time is done, take it off the heat and let it cool.
9. Then freeze whatever you do not use that day

 

[fredtgreco]

Thanks Fred. On #2 is that cubed/chunked or ground meat? If not ground, would short ribs work?

Come on, Fred! Don't be a tease! Share the general gist of the recipe!

Here you go:

1. Get a huge pot
2. Put some olive oil in the pot and then put a good quantity of meat (an inexpensive cut of beef/steak is good). Pour/sprinkle in seasonings (oregano, basil, salt, pepper, garlic salt, etc). Cover the pot and brown the meat.
3. Cut up a couple of huge green peppers and an onion in big chunks. Add them to the browning meat once the meat is mostly browned.
4. Add large quantities of tomato sauce and tomato paste. Add more seasoning. Add some sugar.
5. Start a second boiling pot and boil some Italian sausage. After the sausage is boiled, add it to the main pot.
6. Get your wife to make 5-6 dozen meatballs. Have them browned and then add them to the sauce.
7. Cook over low heat for the next 10-12 hours, stir, taste and add seasonings as you go along (this is the non-paper recipe part).
8. When the time is done, take it off the heat and let it cool.
9. Then freeze whatever you do not use that day

It is cubed/chunked meat. I cut the pieces about half the size of a hand. That keeps them relatively intact over the long cooking process. I suppose you could use short ribs, but I don't find that works well with sauce. Round steak is ideal - cheap, doesn't fall apart, and after the long cooking in the sauce more tender than a regular filet.

 

[Amazing Grace]

Ah, growing up with a Sicilian mother every Sunday was sauce day. My mom cooked it all day long. The brasiole and sausage...I can still smell them. Also, rigatoni, not spaghetti.

I am also one who favors cut pasta. We make sauce every Sunday. I have recently started adding provolone cheese to my meatballs. Awesome~~~

-----Added 11/11/2009 at 01:16:02 EST-----

Thanks Fred. On #2 is that cubed/chunked or ground meat? If not ground, would short ribs work?

Here you go:

1. Get a huge pot
2. Put some olive oil in the pot and then put a good quantity of meat (an inexpensive cut of beef/steak is good). Pour/sprinkle in seasonings (oregano, basil, salt, pepper, garlic salt, etc). Cover the pot and brown the meat.
3. Cut up a couple of huge green peppers and an onion in big chunks. Add them to the browning meat once the meat is mostly browned.
4. Add large quantities of tomato sauce and tomato paste. Add more seasoning. Add some sugar.
5. Start a second boiling pot and boil some Italian sausage. After the sausage is boiled, add it to the main pot.
6. Get your wife to make 5-6 dozen meatballs. Have them browned and then add them to the sauce.
7. Cook over low heat for the next 10-12 hours, stir, taste and add seasonings as you go along (this is the non-paper recipe part).
8. When the time is done, take it off the heat and let it cool.
9. Then freeze whatever you do not use that day

It is cubed/chunked meat. I cut the pieces about half the size of a hand. That keeps them relatively intact over the long cooking process. I suppose you could use short ribs, but I don't find that works well with sauce. Round steak is ideal - cheap, doesn't fall apart, and after the long cooking in the sauce more tender than a regular filet.

I throw in the extra Pork Chops from Saturday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Jon Peters]

Come on, Fred! Don't be a tease! Share the general gist of the recipe!

Here you go:

1. Get a huge pot
2. Put some olive oil in the pot and then put a good quantity of meat (an inexpensive cut of beef/steak is good). Pour/sprinkle in seasonings (oregano, basil, salt, pepper, garlic salt, etc). Cover the pot and brown the meat.
3. Cut up a couple of huge green peppers and an onion in big chunks. Add them to the browning meat once the meat is mostly browned.
4. Add large quantities of tomato sauce and tomato paste. Add more seasoning. Add some sugar.
5. Start a second boiling pot and boil some Italian sausage. After the sausage is boiled, add it to the main pot.
6. Get your wife to make 5-6 dozen meatballs. Have them browned and then add them to the sauce.
7. Cook over low heat for the next 10-12 hours, stir, taste and add seasonings as you go along (this is the non-paper recipe part).
8. When the time is done, take it off the heat and let it cool.
9. Then freeze whatever you do not use that day

Wow! That is a lot of meat!

 

[fredtgreco]

Most people don't realize it, but the real difference with sauce is the meat. It's why orange Ragu just doesn't cut it.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

Fred, do you make your own tomato sauce or is there a brand you like?

 

[SolaScriptura]

Come on, Fred! Don't be a tease! Share the general gist of the recipe!

Here you go:

1. Get a huge pot
2. Put some olive oil in the pot and then put a good quantity of meat (an inexpensive cut of beef/steak is good). Pour/sprinkle in seasonings (oregano, basil, salt, pepper, garlic salt, etc). Cover the pot and brown the meat.
3. Cut up a couple of huge green peppers and an onion in big chunks. Add them to the browning meat once the meat is mostly browned.
4. Add large quantities of tomato sauce and tomato paste. Add more seasoning. Add some sugar.
5. Start a second boiling pot and boil some Italian sausage. After the sausage is boiled, add it to the main pot.
6. Get your wife to make 5-6 dozen meatballs. Have them browned and then add them to the sauce.
7. Cook over low heat for the next 10-12 hours, stir, taste and add seasonings as you go along (this is the non-paper recipe part).
8. When the time is done, take it off the heat and let it cool.
9. Then freeze whatever you do not use that day

Thanks, Fred! You've now created work for my wife... I can't wait to tell her the good news!

 

[Answerman]

Isn't real italian sauce made from fresh tomato's?

 

[fredtgreco]

Fred, do you make your own tomato sauce or is there a brand you like?

I use large restaurant style cans as a starting point. Brand really doesn't matter much, since all the flavoring and substance comes from the cooking.

Isn't real italian sauce made from fresh tomato's?

Not really. There is a significant element of additional cost and work in working from tomatoes. And the tomatoes themselves are just as "pre-processed" as cans of sauce, coming from mega-farms, etc.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

Fred,
How large is a restaurant size can?

Fred, do you make your own tomato sauce or is there a brand you like?

I use large restaurant style cans as a starting point. Brand really doesn't matter much, since all the flavoring and substance comes from the cooking.

Isn't real italian sauce made from fresh tomato's?

Not really. There is a significant element of additional cost and work in working from tomatoes. And the tomatoes themselves are just as "pre-processed" as cans of sauce, coming from mega-farms, etc.

 

[Quickened]

I shouldnt have read this! Now i am quite hungry! This is something that i should really work on. Getting my sauce down

 

[sailorswife]

I miss those kids! They are getting so big!

 

[fredtgreco]

I miss those kids! They are getting so big!

They are! I imagine yours are as well!!

 

[fredtgreco]

Not sure. I just buy the biggest can in the grocery store, and use about 3-4 of them. Depends on how much you want to make. I made 24 quarts this time in a 16qt pot and an 8 qt pot. I used one big can and like 6-7 of the normal big cans (24oz?). I also used three larger cans (12oz?) of the tomato paste.

Fred,
How large is a restaurant size can?

Fred, do you make your own tomato sauce or is there a brand you like?

I use large restaurant style cans as a starting point. Brand really doesn't matter much, since all the flavoring and substance comes from the cooking.

Isn't real italian sauce made from fresh tomato's?

Not really. There is a significant element of additional cost and work in working from tomatoes. And the tomatoes themselves are just as "pre-processed" as cans of sauce, coming from mega-farms, etc.

 

[Amazing Grace]

Fred,
How large is a restaurant size can?

Chris, they are called # 10 cans. If I may, here is how I make it.

1) 1 # 10 can of crushed tomatoes

2) 1 # 10 can of Whole peeled tomatoes. (Squish with hands in can)

3) 2 tbsp chopped garlic in oil

4) Cut one large onion

5) 1 can of chicken stock

6) salt, pepper, sugar to taste

7) Basil, parsley, oregano to taste Romano cheese


Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in bottom of the pot until lightly browned. Add tomatoes and one can of water chicken stock and seasonings. Simmer for 5-6 hours or longer if you can. Add meatballs and pork and sausage while cooking.

Try making your meatballs with 2/3 beef and 1/3 ground pork.