So many of my dinner recipes require "red sauce", so you'll want to keep this recipe handy. Before we get into the recipe lets go back a little, and take a look at some of the history behind Italian Cuisine.
Italian cuisine is one of the oldest in the world. It is derived from ancient Roman and Greek gastronomic traditions. Some of the dishes around today are almost exact copies of meals prepared for Roman soldiers about 2000 years ago. Germanic invasions modified Roman meals and customs, and the Renaissance period introduced more refined tastes into the various regions of Italy. Marco Polo and other Italian travellers made journeys to the Far East and brought back new spices and exotic foods. Pasta, a staple food for most Italians, appears to be a wheat version of the rice noodles found across Asia, so perhaps this was also an idea brought back by the Italian merchants.
Tomatoes - pomodori or 'apples of gold' - were originally brought from the Americas by European explorers and initially grown in
France. However, Italy's climate was found to be more suitable for growing them quickly and cheaply, so they became a common ingredient of everyday meals cooked by Italians. Salsa di pomodoro (tomato sauce) appeared, which is now a common base for Italian recipes.
Other staples of Italian cuisine - especially olio d'olivio (olive oil) and vino (wine) - are very Mediterranean. Olive groves and vineyards have been common in Italy and elsewhere in southern Europe for thousands of years.
Don't you feel smarter now?? Good, now lets make that Sauce!
I'll start off by saying that this is the closest you'll get to a secret family recipe. I got permission to tell you some, but for the rest I leave it up to you and you cooking skills to make it your own.
The Ingredienti, or Cast di caratteri:
1 32oz can of Crushed Tomatoes
2 12oz can of Tomato Paste
A couple Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Minced Garlic
Garlic cloves
Parsley
Basil
Salt
Pepper
Sugar
Water
*And any other Italian Spices you would like*
You'll want to have a tall pot to cook this in. It makes quite a bit, but that's OK, it freezes well. One other thing, which may not help very much, if your are one who measures your gonna hate me, but I don't typically measure my Ingredienti, I go more for the eyeball, or taste technique. Alright, on with it now.
First you put in a couple "blops" of extra virgin olive oil, combined with half-a-fork-full of minced garlic. Don't you worry, if your a garlic lover like me, there is more garlic to come!! Set the stove to medium, so it starts to sizzle.
Now add in both cans of paste, followed by a two cans of water. I usually put the paste in, and fill that same can with water to ensure I have it all. Stir that around a bit so its all nice and mixed in with the oil and garlic.
Next you are going to add your spices. A couple spoon fulls of parsley, and then I usually do the same with the basil, but one less. So if you do 2 spoon full of parsley, then 1 spoon full of basil. This is the place where you will also add any other spices you want, Ie: Oregano, or just plain ol' Italian spices, if ya like. Not for this Sicilian, I leave it at parsley and Sweet Basil.
Next you'll add in the sugar. You can add anywhere from 1/4 cup to a full cup if you like, depending upon how sweet you like it. Me, I'm somewhere in the middle. A few turns of my salt and pepper grinders, and the sauce is well on its way to being tasty! After you have added all these ingredients you want to let that cook together for about 15-20 minutes. Don't ask why, that's just the way my mom told me to make it, so I don't argue.
Once that time is up, your gonna add the can of crushed tomatoes, along with at full can of water. If you like your sauce really really thick, I would advise to only add half the can, but I will tell you its going to cook for a while, and it will cook down. Once you have the water added, turn your stove to low, or if you have a simmer burner, use that one, and let it cook. Here's the key, the longer it cooks, the better its gonna taste! I usually start mine at around 8 or 9 in the morning, and we eat around 6, so that's a good 9 to 10 hours. Happy sauce making!
MANGI!!
*Side note for you garlic lovers. I usually roast a clove of garlic in the oven, and then add the whole cloves half way through the cooking process. You can never have to much garlic!! YUM!
Old Fashioned Almond Bark
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