Dorothea’s Homemade Italian Sauce served Over Penne
Ingredients:
3 35 oz. cans of San Marzano Tomatoes, mashed
3 small cans (8 oz.), of Del Monte Tomato Sauce
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 ½ tsp. sugar
1 lb. hot Italian sausage
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
1 small onion, chopped
16 Grammy’s Meatballs – 2 lbs. prime (90% lean beef) chopped meat, 1 ½ lbs. used for Grammy’s Meatballs and the remainder reserved for adding to the sauce.)
2 small cans (6 oz.) of Contadina Tomato Paste
Preparation:
1. Add the mashed tomatoes and their juice to a large (8 qt.) pot.
2. Add the garlic, sugar and Del Monte tomato sauce.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer.
4. In the meantime, add the sausage to a skillet, pierce them with a fork, and cook over medium heat until done.
5. Remove cooked sausage and add to the sauce, and remove all but 2 tbsps. of rendered fat and add to sauce.
6. Add chopped onion to the scrapings and remaining fat from the sausage, brown and deglaze the pan, add to the sauce.
7. Make the 16 meatballs (see Grammy’s Meatballs for recipe) and add to the sauce.
8. Brown the remaining ½ lb. of chopped meat, add in the tomato paste, stir and cook for 5 minutes or so, over medium heat, remove and add to the sauce.
9. Simmer sauce uncovered, on a low flame, for approximately 4-5 hours, stirring occasionally.
Due to the thickness of the sauce, it is best served over a pasta shape that will trap and hold the sauce, such as Penne, Ziti, Rigatoni or Shells (conchiglie). Add some chopped fresh basil to each bowl, and serve with grated imported Italian Cheese, and Dorothea’s Homemade Hot Pepper Sauce, on the side.
A good bottle of Italian red wine, such as a Rosso di Montalcino, the less expensive cousin of Brunello, makes this pasta dish just perfect!
Please see: The Secret’s Out!
Note: The unused sauce can be frozen in meal sized batches. Often it thickens after taken from the freezer. When this happens, simply add some water to thin the sauce to your liking.
The Literate Chef 