My Nana’s Tomato Sauce

Views: 6649

My Italian Grandmother would turn over in her grave if I ever used jarred sauce.
Making tomato sauce from scratch is not very hard at all...you just have to have time to let it simmer, so it builds that delicious, authentic Italian flavor.

Here is the way I learned to make spaghetti sauce from my Italian grandmother - make sure you let it cook long and slow and stir often. You may use fresh tomatoes (blanch the skin off first by plunging in boiling water for 10 seconds), canned chopped or crushed tomatoes or canned whole tomatoes that you have whizzed up in the blender for a bit.

I make this sauce about once every few weeks. I make a BIG pot of it and I portion it in meal-sized ziptop bags, so there is always sauce ready, when I need to make a quick dinner.
You may also make meatballs, bake them(I bake them) or fry them first, and then simmer them in the big pot of sauce. Meatballs REALLY make the sauce extra delish.
VEGETABLES INGREDIENT HELP

INGREDIENTS
1 package link Italian sausage (about 8 large links-mild or hot)
2 teaspoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, put through press
6 LARGE cans of tomatoes(see above)
1 can tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons basil leaves, chopped
1tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
-Put olive oil in a large pot on medium/high flame

· Add sausage and brown on all sides

· Add garlic and stir, making sure it doesn't burn

· Add two cups of water and deglaze the pan

· Add the tomatoes, all at once, and give a good stir

· Clean the tomato cans out with water and add the resulting liquid to the pot(about 1 cup water)

· Add the can of tomato paste and stir

· Turn the heat to low at this point

· Add the bay leaves

· Simmer the sauce for several hours(about 4), stirring every once in a while, to make sure it doesn't stick on the bottom of the pot.

· When the sauce is thick and just about done, stir in the parsley and basil

· Cook for 10 more minutes

· Taste and add salt and pepper to your taste(if the tomatoes are tart, you may add a little sugar to balance the flavor)

SERVE
Serve over pasta

Tags