lunaticsinge.com - Italian Cuisine Sauces

Italian American Meat Sauce - (Makes 8 cups - enough to dress 2 lbs. of pasta)

Ingredients:

2 (35 oz.) cans Italian plum tomatoes

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium yellow onions, Diced

6 to 8 cloves garlic, peeled & finely chopped

5 or 6 meaty pork neck bones

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground pork

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 bay leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled

3/4 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup tomato paste

3 to 4 cups hot water

1. Pass the tomatoes through a food mill fitted with the fine blade. Set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Make room in the center of the pot to add the garlic, and cook until it is lightly browned. Add the pork bones, and cook, turning, until they are lightly browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the ground beef and pork, and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring to break up the meat, until the liquid it gives off is boiled away, about 10 minutes. Continue cooking until the meat is browned, about 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves and oregano, then pour in the wine. Bring to a boil, and cook, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the pot, until the wine is completely evaporated.

4. Pour the tomatoes into the pot, then stir in the tomato paste until dissolved. Season lightly with salt. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat to maintain a lively simmer, and cook, uncovered, stirring often, 2 to 3 hours.

5. Add the hot water, about 1/2 cup at a time, to maintain the level of liquid while the sauce cooks. Skim off any fat floating on top, remove pork bones, and adjust the seasoning. Serve over pasta.

Meat Sauce Bolognese - (Makes 6 cups - enough to dress 1 1/2 lbs. of dried pasta)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, minced

1 medium carrot, peeled & finely shredded

1/2 cup celery with leaves, minced

Salt

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground pork

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, crushed

3 bay leaves

Ground black pepper

4 cups hot water, or as needed

1. Heat the olive oil in a wide 3 to 4 quart pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in he onion, carrot, and celery, then season them lightly with salt, and cook, stirring until the onion is translucent.

2. Crumble in the ground beef and pork, and continue cooking, stirring to break up the meat, until all

the liquid the meat has given off is evaporated and the meat is lightly browned, about10 minutes. Pour in the wine, and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the wine is evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, and cook a few minutes; then pour in the tomatoes, toss in the bay leaves, and season lightly with salt and pepper.

3. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the sauce is bubbling. Cook stirring occasionally, until the sauce is dense, but juicy and a rich dark-red color. This take about 2 to 3 hours - the longer you cook it, the better it will become. While the sauce is cooking, add hot water as necessary to keep the meats and vegetables covered.

Classic Pesto - (Makes 3/4 cup - enough to dress 1 lb. of pasta)

Ingredients:

4 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves, gently washed & dried

Pinch of coarse sea salt

2 cloves garlic, peeled

3 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted

2 tablespoons freshly & finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese

2 tablespoons freshly and finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. To Make Pest in a Mortar Pestle: Place a few leaves of the basil in the bottom of a mortar, and sprinkle the salt over them. Crush the leaves coarsely with the pestle, add a few more leaves, and continue crushing, adding new leaves each time those in the mortar are crushed, until all the leaves are coarsely ground. Toss in the garlic, and pound until the mixture forms a smooth paste. Add the pine nuts, and grind them to a paste. Stir in the cheeses, then enough of the oil to give the pesto a creamy consistency.

2. To Make the Pesto in a Food Processor: Combine the basil, salt, and garlic in the food processor, add 2 tablespoons of the oil, and blend at low speed, stopping frequently to press the basil down around the blades, until a coarse paste forms. Toss in the pine nuts, and pour in the remaining olive oil. Blend until the pine nuts are finely ground. Stir in the grated chesses to form a creamy paste.

Marinara Sauce - (Makes 1 quart - enough for 6 servings of pasta)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

8 cloves garlic, peeled

1 (35 oz.) can Italian plum tomatoes, lightly crushed, with their liquid

Salt and red hot pepper flakes, to taste

10 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

1. Heat the oil in a 2 to 3 quart non-reactive saucepan over medium heat. Whack the garlic with the flat side of a knife, add it to the oil, and cook until lightly browned.

2. Carefully slide the tomatoes and their liquid into the oil. Bring to a boil, and season lightly with salt and red pepper flakes. Lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer, and cook, breaking up the tomatoes with a whisk or spoon, until the sauce is chunky and thick, about 20 minutes.

3. Stir in the basil about 5 minutes before the sauce is finished. Taste the sauce, and season with salt and red pepper if necessary.

Tomato Sauce - (Makes 1 quart - enough for 6 servings of pasta)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup carrots, peeled & finely shredded

1/4 cup celery with leaves, finely chopped

2 (35 oz.) cans peeled Italian tomatoes, seeded & lightly crushed by hand, with their liquid

2 dried bay leaves

Salt & hot red pepper flakes, to taste

1. Heat the oil in a 2 to 3 quart non-reactive saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the crushed tomatoes and bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Season lightly with salt and red pepper flakes. Lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer, and cook stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 45 minutes.

3. Remove the bay leaves. Taste and season with salt and red pepper flakes if necessary.

Raw Summer Tomato Sauce for Pasta - (Makes 3 to 4 cups - enough for 1 lb. of pasta)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ripe summer tomatoes

3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 large basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, to taste

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup or more grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or fresh mozzarella cheese (optional)

1. Rinse the tomatoes, drain, and wipe dry. Cut out the core and any other tough parts. Working over a big mixing bowl to catch all the juices, cut the tomatoes - cherry tomatoes in half; regular tomatoes into 1-inch chunks - and drop them into the bowl.

2. Smash the garlic cloves with a chef's knife, and chop into a fine paste (easier if you some salt as you chop; mash the garlic bits and salt with the flat side of the knife, too). Scatter the garlic paste and the rest of the salt (1/2 teaspoon in all) over the tomatoes, and stir gently.

3. Pile up the basil leaves, and cut into thin strips; you should get about 3 tablespoons. Scatter these over the tomatoes, then sprinkle in the hot red pepper flakes. Pour in the oil, stir, and fold, to coat the tomatoes and distribute the seasonings.

4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it marinate at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.

5. Toss the marinated sauce with freshly cooked and drained pasta. Serve as is, or toss in a cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. For extra richness, add 1 cup or more fresh cubed mozzarella.