In our way of thinking, if you are going to take the time to make the "gravy" (sauce), then you have time to make the meatballs too.
This particular endeavor was a bit extensive however. We were cooking for a party of 60, this night. We made 3 gallons of homemade Pasta Sauce and 180 meatballs. But, I have my husband Joe to thank for all the hard work.
This is Joe's original family recipe. It has been used and passed down for generations now. And to be honest, I have yet to find one better!
First let me tell you that my husband does not like "chunks" of tomatoes in his marinara sauce. So it is smooth in consistency. We begin with large cans of Tomato Puree, instead of cans of crushed or whole tomatoes, that were put in the blender
In the summer however, we do use our own home grown tomatoes.
Joe also believes, that if you cook your meatballs in the sauce for an hour or so, once they have been browned off, it enhances the flavor of the sauce 10 fold. And... that the longer the meat simmers in the sauce, the better it is. He is right by the way!
We have been known to add, chicken, meatballs, sausage, and any other meat that might be in the fridge too. The theory behind that is... the more meat flavor your sauce has, the better it tastes.
Remember, when the sauce is done, there will NOT be any meat in it, however, I don't think you can consider it vegetarian either. ;)
When we make batches of sauce and meatballs. I keep out what I know I am going to use, and with the remainder, I fill quart sized baggies, with sauce, and sandwich sized baggies, with 6 meatballs in each, and then freeze them all. The quart size sauce is enough for a pasta meal for 4, and you can always defrost, as many meatballs as you want.
Today we are going to concentrate on making the sauce. Tomorrow's post, will be how to make the meatballs.
Prep Time: 20 min. Cook Time 2+ hours Servings: 12
Ingredients:
4 large cans of your favorite tomato puree.
1/2 (tomato puree can) of Water.
1-2 cans tomato paste
1+ tbsp. Basil.
1 tbsp. Italian Parsley (regular parsley is fine too.)
1 tbsp. Rosemary.
2 Bay Leaves.
2 cloves of garlic, minced.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Long wooden spoon, or... your favorite mixing spoon.
***REMEMBER, TASTE AS YOU GO.
IF YOU LIKE MORE OF SOMETHING, THEN ADD IT. AGAIN, EVERY ITALIAN HOUSEHOLD'S SAUCE/GRAVY, IS DIFFERENT.
We don't go crazy with ingredients, because once the meatballs are added to the sauce and simmered for an hour or two, there is nothing else needed. :)
If you like other ingredients in your pasta sauce, feel free to add them. Like most recipes, Italian sauces are different every time you are served it. want more garlic and less bay? Go for it, this sauce is supposed to reflect your particular taste.
For us, the finishing touch however is the meat balls. In my opinion, that is what makes it great!
Directions:
- On a medium to low heat, in an appropriate sized sauce pot, add tomato puree and enough water to clear out remaining puree from cans, Stir occasionally while heating. You don't want the tomatoes to stick to the bottom of the pan if it can be helped.
- after 10 minutes, mix the tomato sauce well. (Making sure to pay attention to the center of the pot, where a heavy sauce mixture tends to stick the most).
- Now, add Basil, Parsley, Rosemary, Bay Leaves and minced garlic.
- Stir well and allow to slow simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Now check for salt and pepper. TASTE AS YOU GO!
- (Tomato products, notoriously require more salt than you would normally use in other dishes)
- (If you do make the meatballs at the same time, this is the point where you would add them to the sauce) RECIPE LINK FOR MEATBALLS WILL BE POSTED HERE TOMORROW.
- Semi cover pot and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until you are happy with the results.
- If you added the meatballs, remove them from the sauce with a slotted spoon, and place in a serving bowl. If there are pieces at the bottom of the pan, use a second can of paste, mixed well with some water, to deglaze the pan, mixing well.
- Serve warm, with your favorite pasta dish, or refrigerate once they are at room temperature.
Now Enjoy!
© 2014 Jayne's Crazy Kitchen
