Quick Tomato Sauce

by | Mar 22, 2024 | Recipes, Sauce

By Pam Perugi Marraccini

When Dad came home from one of his visits to Italy, he showed me this quick method  for making tomato sauce taught to him by his cousin Bruna Palermo. It has been my standard ever since.

You can use fresh peeled tomatoes or jarred/canned tomatoes.
I use canned whole San Marzano Tomatoes or the Jarred version by Jovial.

• ¼ – ½ c Olive oil to cover bottom of pan. (I use a frying pan which speeds up the process due to the larger surface area, cooks in 45 minutes or less.)

• 1 – 28 oz can whole/peeled San Marzano or 2 – 14 Oz Jars of Jovial whole peeled tomatoes

• 1 large onion, chopped finely

• 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped finely

• Salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste

• Any herb that suits your menu of the day: marjoram is my favorite, but oregano, rosemary, or fresh basil (added at the end) will work too.

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until transparent, add whole tomatoes and chop them with the edge of a wooden spoon while cooking them ( or pulse them in a food processor  to a chunky texture.) Add all seasonings, except basil. Stir and chop regularly. Takes only 45 minutes or so. Add fresh basil at the end.

Pomodoro (Marinara)

by | Aug 5, 2023 | Lasagna, Pasta, Recipes, Sauce

1 large can San Marzano tomatoes with juice. (Find authentic San Marzano at Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Wegman’s and World Market.)

1/4 c olive oil

1 garlic clove

2 T tomato paste

fresh basil leaves

Bottle of Passata (purchase at Whole Foods or World Market)

 

Pour olive oil into saucepan and add roughly sliced garlic clove, brown lightly and remove. Add tomatoes. Break up as they cook into smaller pieces. Add tomato paste to thicken. Crushed red pepper if desired. Cook to reduce sauce. Add basil leaves and continue to cook until done..

Use as a base sauce for eggplant parmesan, Sasage Ragu, Pasta Puttanesca,  Cattiatore, pizza, etc.

(Photo to come)

 

Pizza

Pizza

by | Aug 7, 2022 | Appetizer, Main Dish, Party, Sauce

MAKE DOUGH

Dissolve 1 package yeast (or 1 T) by mixing into 1 C warm water. (tap water is ok)

Add 1 t salt and 1/4 C olive oil and mix.

Stir into 2 C flour (00 flour is best) I used King Arthur Pizza flour.

Knead on floured counter top about 1 minute. Place in bowl and cover with damp towel and place in oven (turned off) to rise for 1 hour. (1st proof)

Scrape out onto floured counter and knead for two or three minutes. Sprinkle flour to keep it from sticking. Put back in oven and let rise up to 3 hours. I only did 2. (2nd proof)

Remove and knead a little to shape and spread in oily shallow baking pan. 

Turn oven on to 400 degrees F. While that was heating up, I put the dough pan on the bottom rack to bake a little.

MAKE SAUCE: (Can be made ahead.)

I used a small box of Cento chopped tomatoes. Heat on stove and add olive oil, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, marjoram and then mix. Add tomato paste and a little anchovy. Cook until thick enough for pie.

CHEESE:

After spreading sauce on dough, sprinkle almost a small package of shredded Italian cheese. (Stop and Shop brand) Then add sliced mozzerella, I used almost one fresh white ball. The whiter the better. Then lastly some grated parmesan cheese.

Bake 10 minutes in the middle rack and 8 minutes on the top rack.

molto bene!

Grandpa’s Spaghetti Sauce

Grandpa’s Spaghetti Sauce

by | Nov 8, 2012 | Pasta, Pork, Recipes, Sauce, Sausage

olive-oil(large pot as made 12/9/1979)  –  from A Perugi

1 lb+ Italian Salamini Sausage – boiled 20 minutes, cooled and crumbled
1 1/4 lb. pork loin with bone
1/2 lb. pancetta, diced
2 1/2 lb. beef stew meat (chuck?) cut into 1/2″ cubes
3 or 4 tbsp. parsley (remove stems)
1/2 lb. carrots diced
1 1/2 lb. onion diced (3 – 4 medium large)
6 or 7 garlic large cloves, pressed
2-3 stalks celery (1/2 lb.)
1/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup Madre Sicilia Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. dried margoram, 2/3 tsp. thyme, 2 bay leaves, 3 generous dashes cinnamon, 4   dashes cayenne
35 oz. can imported peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped
29 oz. can Heavy tomato puree (Contadina)
6 oz. can Progresso Tomato paste
29 oz. can Hunts tomato sauce
15 oz. can Del Monte tomato sauce
1/2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, soaked and diced.

Melt butter in oil with pieces of pancetta. Cook onion , carrots, celery, parsley in oil
mixture until soft. Take out most of this “suffrito”, and add some garlic and put aside.
Add rest of garlic and pork to pot and brown, then add beef and brown. Return soffrito, cook
awhile, add everything else and simmer 1 hour. Add mushrooms and cook 1/2 hour more. Serve

Uncle Vic’s Bolonese Sauce Lasagna

by | Sep 17, 2012 | Beef, Lasagna, Main Dish, Pasta, Recipes, Sauce, Sausage

From N Krug:
Meat sauce:
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 Tblsp. butter
1 lb. Mild Italian sausage
1 lb. Ground round
2 Tblsp. olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine (“or red” -D.P.)
2 cups chopped tomatoes peeled and seeded
3 Tblsp. tomato paste
2 cups beef bouillon
1 tsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper

Becciamella sauce:
5 Tblsp. butter
6 Tblsp. flour
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt
Dash nutmeg

Other:
1 lb. Lasagna noodles
1 lb. Mozzarella cheese grated
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

To prepare meat sauce:
Combine onion, garlic and celery and saute over low heat in 2 Tblsp. butter 8-10 minutes.
Remove to heavy 3-4 quart saucepan. In same frying pan, sautŽ the sausage and ground round in olive oil until browned.

Remove excess grease. Add wine to meat and boil stirring constantly until wine is almost evaporated. Add meat to sauce pan with onion mixture and add the tomatoes, paste, stock and seasonings. Simmer for 1 hour.

To prepare the becciamella sauce:
Melt 3 Tblsp. butter into heavy 2-3 quart saucepan over low heat.
Stir in flour. Cook slowly 2-3 minutes. Pour in milk and cream slowly stirring with a whisk to obtain a smooth sauce. Heat to boiling stirring constantly until sauce thickens.  Remove from heat and add 1 tsp. salt and nutmeg.

To build the lasagna:
Butter a 9 x 13 x 3 inch-baking dish. In a large 6-8 quart pot, cook the lasagna.  When cooked, drain and cover lasagna with cold water.
Spread layer of meat sauce on bottom of baking dish. Over this, lay 1/3 of the noodles, 1/3 of the sauce and 1/3 of mozzarella cheese. Repeat 2 more times. Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.