Nonnies Spaghetti Sauce Food

NONNI'S HOMEMADE RAGU SAUCE

Steps:

• Add strained crushed tomatoes to a heavy bottomed stock pot
• In a pan cook ground beef thoroughly breaking up into small pieces. When done drain the fat and add to stock pot
• Add olive oil to the same pan and heat on medium. Add the onions and garlic and sautee until the onions become translucent. Add to stock pot.
• Add parsley, basil, oregano and sugar to stock pot. Stir well. Cover slightly and simmer on low for 2-3 hours or until sauce reduces to the consistency you prefer.
• Serve or store in fridge when completely cooked in sealed containers until a later date. Freeze for up to 3 months.

THE BEST BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Combine the beef and pork in a large bowl. "Pull" the ground meat apart with two forks as if you were shredding pulled pork, breaking up the clumps and incorporating the meat without compacting it. Continue to pull the meat apart until thoroughly mixed and no clumps remain.
• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Cook the pancetta, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and is golden brown on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer the pancetta with a slotted spoon to a large bowl, leaving the fat in the pot.
• Spread half of the ground meat in an even layer in the pot and cook undisturbed until lightly golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, breaking up any clumps with the back of a spoon and scraping up any browned bits from the pot, until the meat is lightly browned on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer the browned meat with a slotted spoon to the bowl with the pancetta, leaving the fat in the pot. Repeat with the remaining ground meat.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic, celery, carrots, onions, bay leaf, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant and brick red, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine, bring to a boil and cook until it reduces and thickens and no smell of alcohol remains, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the stock, milk and browned meat.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Add the Parmesan rind and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated away and the mixture resembles sloppy joes, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. There shouldn't be any rapid bubbles while cooking. Instead, the sauce should release occasional small bubbles. If you have a small burner you should use it; the larger burners even at their lowest setting might cook the sauce too quickly. If the sauce reduces too quickly, add 1/2 cup of stock or water and continue cooking; repeat if necessary. The sauce needs the full 2 to 2 1/2 hour cook time to develop the flavors.
• Discard the bay leaf and Parmesan rind. Use the back of a spoon to break up any remaining clumps of meat for an even-textured sauce. Season with salt and keep warm.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta. If using fresh pasta, cook about 3 minutes. If using dry, cook until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions.
• Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and transfer to the sauce. Increase the heat to medium, bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, tossing the pasta constantly, until the pasta is al dente and the sauce is slightly thickened, adding pasta cooking liquid if necessary, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer the pasta to a platter and top with grated Parmesan.

NONNI'S RED PASTA SAUCE WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• 1. In a large sauté pan, crumble and brown Italian sausage. Add diced yellow onion, if using.
• 2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Stir intermittently, about every 10 minutes.
• 3. Simmer on low for at least 30 minutes, but an hour and a half is best!
• 4. Mix with spaghetti, penne, lasagna, or your favorite cooked pasta. Top with parmesan cheese and serve with crusty garlic bread and green salad. And if you like wine, it pairs well with a red!

NONNA'S SWEET PASTA SAUCE FOR TWO

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a small pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in water, tomato paste, sugar, bacon, salt, basil, and red pepper flakes. Simmer until flavors combine, about 30 minutes.

NONA'S MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Combine all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl and form into 2-inch balls. (Makes about 18 meatballs.) Heat a large pan coated with oil over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook until well browned. Reserve.
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, parsley and garlic, and saute until tender. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, tomato sauce, and water and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat; add the meatballs and simmer, uncovered 2 to 3 hours.

NONNIE'S SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Steps:

• In large dutch oven, saute onions in bacon fat till tender.
• Brown pork, beef and sausage on all sides. Do not drain grease off.
• Add cans of tomatoes to meat and bring to boil.
• Add tomato paste, water and seasonings.
• Simmer for 2 hours.
• Brown meatballs while sauce is simmering.
• Add browned meatballs and cook for another hour.
• (You can cook on low for many hours if you like, on stove or in crock pot!).
• Do not let burn bottom of pan!
• In another dutch oven, boil water for mostaciolli, penne, angel hair or any pasta you like!
• Scoop sauce over pasta and enjoy!

NONNIE'S GNOCCHI WITH FRESH MARINARA SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Scrub the potatoes well and pierce in several places with the tip of a knife. Bake on a baking sheet until cooked through, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool.
• Once they're cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and pass the flesh through a ricer or the finest holes of a food mill. Place 1 1/2 cups of the flour on a clean work surface and put the potatoes in the middle. Season with the salt. Knead the potatoes and the flour together until it's a smooth ball of dough that's slightly sticky. If the dough is too sticky, add more of the remaining 1/2 cup flour gradually to achieve the smooth consistency.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and cover 3 of them with a dampened kitchen towel. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the uncovered piece of dough into a 1-inch-thick rope. Cut into 3/4-inch pieces. Turn a fork over and hold at a 45-degree angle, with the tines touching the work surface. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it down the fork tines, pressing with your thumb to make ridges on one side. Place on a large baking sheet lined with a kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add half the gnocchi and cook until they bob to the surface of the water. Transfer to a shallow bowl and cook the remaining gnocchi.
• Serve the gnocchi warm with the Marinara Sauce. Top with shaved Parmesan and garnish with chopped basil.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until starting to shimmer. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted. Remove from the heat and add the chopped basil.

NONNI'S PASTA SAUCE

Steps:

• Brown salt pork (use a little EVOO, if needed), remove to food processor and pulse till emulsified. Add onion and garlic and spices to pan drippings and saute. Split seasonings between two large soup pots and add half of Crushed Tomatoes and half of Tomato Sauce to each pot. (this makes a big batch of sauce!) Split salt pork between two batches, taste and adjust seasonings. Add 1 cup of red wine to each batch. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar to each batch. Add one can tomato paste to each batch. Add 1/8 cup parmesan cheese. Continue to simmer. Smell the goodness. Meatballs: Soak pieces of bread in milk until fully absorbed. Drain milk from bread and squeeze. Assemble 2 inch meatballs using beef, cheese, bread, eggs and spices (4 tbsp basil, 3 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tsp red pepper, 1 tbsp 8th Wonder of the World). Brown meatballs in EVOO and add to sauce. Add fresh ground pepper to sauce. 10 grinds each pot. Simmer for another half hour.

NANNY'S SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large skillet combine the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, garlic, sugar, vinegar, oregano and red pepper flakes. Stir all together and simmer over low heat for at least 30 minutes (for the best flavor). Stir frequently to prevent burning.