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Today I am making some pasta sauce because tonight we are going to have Eggplant Parmigiana. I am going to share the secret from the vault and share this handed down recipe. I do not have any takers in the family yet that want to learn. This is from my Mother. She probably learned it from her Father. He was 100% Italian. Her Mother was Polish. Nice combo huh? I did not make this sauce like I do for holidays or when I am making lasagna. I will however tell you those steps.
My Family Tomato sauce
Ingredients:
2 - 28 oz cans of tomatoes. I used whole plum that I squish with my hands. You can use crushed tomatoes if you do not like the pieces of tomato in your sauce. Do not use puree!
2 cans of tomato paste
3 T olive oil (give or take)
1 large yellow onion- chopped
3 cloves of garlic- minced
1 medium shallot- chopped
8 Italian sausage links- 4 mild, 4 hot
1 small lamb shank
1 T kosher salt
1 t ground black pepper
1 t crushed red pepper
2 bay leaves
1 t garlic powder
1 t oregano
1 t basil
1 t thyme
2 T white sugar
Directions:
You are going to need a fairly big pot because this makes alot of sauce. You can freeze it for another time or have a big family meal.
Pour both cans of tomatoes in pot. Add 1 can of water to to pot also. You will either have crushed tomatoes and can move on, or you have the plum and need to squish. I use my clean hands. It is fast and easy.
This is when I add all the dry spices and the sugar into the pot with the tomatoes. Put the heat on medium low and uncovered.
Meatballs
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 egg
1/2 cup of grated Romano cheese
1/4 cup of plain bread crumbs
1 t oregano
1/2 t crushed red pepper
pinch of salt and pepper
Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. If the mixture is TOO wet, add a little more breadcrumbs. Roll into golf ball size meatballs and place on plate in fridge until ready to cook.
Sauce continued:
Now it is time to work on the cooked ingredients. I like to do the meats first and get them out of the way. Nothing is being cooked all the way through. You just want a nice sear or browning on all sides. Nothing is worse that having gray meat to serve to your family.
This is lamb shoulder blade chop. I usually use lamb shanks but the butcher checked and they did not have any. If you dislike the taste of lamb..you can omit this ingredient. Add a couple tabs of oil to your frypan. I sear both sides and drop it in the pot of sauce. I make a split in the skin of all the sausages (this is so they do not explode) and sear on all sides to give a nice brown. Add them to the pot. Then I do my meatballs. Same way. Sear all sides but not completely cooking at all (really rare in the middle). Put those in the sauce.
Now onto the veggies.
Add some oil to same fry pan, if needed. I cook them in this order. Garlic, then shallot, then onion. I do not know why I do this but this is how I was taught. Each is cooked till tender and dropped in the pot of sauce. It is starting to get full in there huh? Do not worry. Only one more ingredient for me to add.
You are going to cook your paste. Yup, that is right. Pour your paste in the same frypan. It is going to pick up all the oils and bits and pieces. Keep an eye on it because it can burn easily. You want to cook it until it gets a darker hue and it is smoother to stir. About five minutes on medium low should do it. Then you dump that in the sauce.
You are now going to put your sauce pot on the back burner of the stove, heat on low (like number 2 on the dial) and uncovered. Cook for at least an hour..but the longer you cook it the thicker and more robust it will become. After the first hour, take out all the meat. Put on a platter and keep in a warmed oven. Then you can turn the heat up on the sauce. You are going to want to skim the fat off the top. Let the sauce settle for about 5 minutes. Then take a spoon and just scrape the oil off the top and discard.
You can use this sauce with all the meats to make your meat lasagna. This is why there is so much meat in there..LOL
I hope you enjoy it! If you have any questions, please ask away.
Remember, low and slow on this sauce is the best. Stir occasionally. You do not want the bottom burn because it will ruin the whole pot.
