Grandma Gina Tomato Sauce Recipes

JIMMY'S GRANDMA'S TOMATO SAUCE WITH BUCATINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• Place a large roasting pan over 2 burners set to medium heat. Add the butter, garlic and onions and sweat for 6 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the tomato sauce and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cover with foil and transfer the pan to the oven for 5 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. (Baking in the oven ensures the sauce cooks down without burning.)
• Transfer the sauce to a blender along with the basil, Parmesan and sugar, and blend well. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce. Serve in shallow bowls, garnished with Parmesan.

GRANDMA'S TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Toss salt and sugar with tomatoes in 2 large bowls, then let stand until very juicy, about 15 minutes.
• Cook garlic in oil in a wide 8- to 10-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 3 to 5 minutes, then discard garlic. Carefully add tomato mixture (it may splatter) and basil, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, covered, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring more frequently toward end of cooking, until sauce is thickened and reduced by half, 2 to 3 hours.
• Force sauce through food mill into a large bowl, discarding solids. Ladle sauce into 1-pint airtight containers and cool completely, uncovered, then freeze, covered.

SIMPLE TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
• Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

GRANDMA'S SUNDAY SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pot and cook pork ribs until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Cook sausages until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the same plate as the ribs.
• Drain off some of the excess fat. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in remaining olive oil. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook and stir until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute; make sure not to burn. Pour in 1/2 of the red wine and scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
• Add tomato paste, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Stir until paste starts to darken, about 2 minutes. Stir in remaining red wine and water.
• Add tomatoes and their juices, crushing by hand as you add them to the pot. Season with basil, remaining salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a low simmer. Taste and add sugar if sauce is too acidic.
• Return ribs to the pot. Simmer, partially covered, adding more liquid if needed, for at least 2 hours. Add sausages back to the pot for the last 45 minutes of cooking. Add fresh basil during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Discard bones before serving.

GRANDMA MAGGIO'S SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, and cook and stir the onion and garlic until translucent but not browned, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and basil, and cook and stir until the basil is wilted and the mushrooms are cooked through and have given up their juices, about 10 minutes.
• Pour in the whole peeled tomatoes, and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring and chopping the tomatoes into pieces with a spoon. Pour in the tomato sauce and stir, crushing any large pieces of tomato left, and bring to a simmer. Let the sauce simmer until slightly thickened and bubbling, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
• Stir the tomato paste into the sauce, and fill the empty tomato paste can with Merlot wine, stirring to dissolve any remaining tomato paste in the can. Pour the Merlot wine into the sauce, and stir well to combine. Bring the sauce back to a simmer, and stir in the salt, pepper, dried oregano, and sugar. Let the sauce simmer until the seasonings are blended and the sauce is heated through, about 3 more minutes.

MARINARA SAUCE AKA "GRANDMA'S SAUCE"

Steps:

• Brown sausage in separate pan.
• Garlic press the garlic (or mince) and brown in the olive oil in a large pot. When brown, add sliced onion and cook until slightly translucent.
• Add tomatoe paste to onion mixture and mix thoroughly. Add crushed tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper and water and stir well.
• Finally, add sausage (and/or meatballs--see my other recipe) and bring to light boil.
• Once boiling, decrease heat to simmer and cover . Cook on simmer for 3-4 hours stirring occassionly.
• If you can't wait the full 3-4 hours add a dash of sugar and it equals about 1 hour of cooking time.
• Add red wine during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
• Suggestion: Serve over pasta with grated parmesan, salad, and bread -- .