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Post by kit on Jun 14, 2012 6:50:34 GMT -5
 When making your Italian tomato sauce (for pasta, not pizza) do you spice it with oregano or basil? And do you use any other dominant spices?
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Post by bobbbiez on Jun 14, 2012 16:24:23 GMT -5
When making your Italian tomato sauce (for pasta, not pizza) do you spice it with oregano or basil? And do you use any other dominant spices?  Kit, I use both, plus bay leaves and whatever else I want to throw in. Don't forget to throw in a tablespoon of sugar to cut down on the acid.  |
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Post by chris on Jun 14, 2012 18:30:00 GMT -5
Sounds like someone is cooking. What time is dinner. Kit, I use fresh Basil only, oregano and bay leaves...also garlic, salt and pepper. I think St. Anthony's still sells their cookbook. Call the rectory as there is a good recipe in there and for meatballs...and most old time recipes like grandma use to make. BTW...here are a few recipes from the Mezz's archives  If I track some more I'll post them. web.archive.org/web/20110208021546/http://cnyeats.com/ |
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Post by kit on Jun 15, 2012 8:46:02 GMT -5
Thanks Bobbbiez and Chris. I know most Italian grandmothers (who I love dearly) use a little of this and a little of that in cooking. But their secret is that they know what to use and what not to use, and how much, to get the 'to die for' taste they're looking for. I know there are as many different pasta sauce recipes out there as there are people who make them, just as there are upteen different recipes for Chicken Riggis. I'm just looking for the combination that makes my belly truly happy.
BZ... I use a touch of baking soda to counteract the acid. It foams up like a son-of-a-gun in the beginning but eventually dissolves. (Oh, and I use a little dry red table wine) When using baking soda, I don't add salt (my doctor would have a fit).
Chris... When I finally get the sauce that really tingles my tummy I'll let you know and you can tell me when to have supper ready. I'll need to know what day is good for you, what time, your favorite shape of pasta, and whether or not you like homemade hot sausage. We can wait on your SS number, marital status, ethnic background and police history until after dinner when I serve the zabaglione ;o)
I find oregano to be a little too sharp for pasta, but great for pizza, so I've been using basil as the main spice in my pasta tomato sauce. And I did learn one important thing from a book written by the comedian Dom DeLuis called "Eat this! It's good for you." We mayonnaise faces generally put too many ingredients in our sauce which complicates the flavor. The message, which Dom got from his mother Vincenza, is... simpler is better.
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Post by chris on Jun 15, 2012 10:30:18 GMT -5
your right Kit...there are a million recipes out there and each cook will have a slightly different version. Good rule of thumb in my book is keep it simple and when possible stick to the fresh ingredients rather than bottled/dried. Personally I like a rich thick "light sauce". (I use crushed tomatoes and paste to ratio) I know some that only use tomatoe paste and that makes my hair stand on end just thinking of it. A little oregano in the sauce won't hurt it but if your ratio is more oregano than sauce....yeah...same as pizza...it should be a flavor not a decoration....LOL I don't believe I ever had zabaglione ...something to look forward to...LOL |
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Post by chris on Jun 15, 2012 10:31:18 GMT -5
Clipper ....maybe one more catagory needed here.......Utica recipes  |
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Post by Clipper on Jun 15, 2012 11:43:10 GMT -5
Kathy uses a couple of large cans of crushed tomatoes, a medium onion finely diced or grated on a box grater, two or three cloves of garlic finely diced or squeezed through the garlic press, two small cans of tomato paste, about a quarter cup of finely chopped fresh basil (or a tblsp of dried basil. No oregano. She DOES put a little bit of either ground oregano or Italian seasoning and another clove or two of fresh garlic in her meatball mixture and bakes the meatballs in the oven. For meatball sandwiches she simmers the meatballs in the sauce after baking them.
Kit, you mentioned that you wanted the recipe for sauce for PASTA, not Pizza. When we make homemade pizza, she simply adds more tomato paste to thicken and sweeten up the sauce so it can be put on a crust fairly thick without running off.
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Post by kit on Jun 15, 2012 18:20:35 GMT -5
Clip... I suppose it's all in what you're used to. Even though people's sauces vary widely, I have rarely seen a bad tomato sauce... just different. Except for my aunt (who's gone now - God bless her soul). She lived in Ohio and we were visiting their family once when I was just a tyke. At the time, she was commonly known to tip a few now and then... mostly now. She was going to make spaghetti for us because it's fairly simple and cheap. She started the sauce and found that she had no tomato products in her pantry at all, so she used (gag) tomato soup and ketchup and thickened it with flour dissolved in a little water. Even for a little kid like me who would eat almost anything, this was the most disgusting concoction I'd ever had to stuff down my throat. Thank the Lord she had some grated cheese or we never could have choked it down. But then again, maybe that's the way they make spaghetti sauce in Ohio because it didn't seem to bother her (possibly because her taste buds were fried).
I use oregano in the sauce I'm going to use on pizza as well as on tomato pie, but basil (dried) in my regular pasta sauce.
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Post by Clipper on Jun 15, 2012 19:30:48 GMT -5
Ketchup and tomato soup? Yuk! Must have tasted similar to Franco American. I could never choke that stuff down when I was a kid, lol. You are 100% correct Kit about everyone's sauce being different. I have had many different sauces over the years. My first wife used to put crushed red pepper in hers and grated parmesan. It was good, but then again, I would rather put the cheese on the top after I dish up the pasta and sauce. My mom made good sauce, but then when I moved here to Tennessee I found out that I had been duped by her "homemade" sauce for years. It was actually jarred sauce with extra goodies and tomato paste tossed in, and cooked down until it was thick. LOL
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Post by kit on Jun 16, 2012 6:10:27 GMT -5
BZ... you mentioned putting sugar in the sauce. Believe it or not, onion adds sweetness as well. I know some people can't tolerate one of the chemicals in onion, but for those who can, add some chopped onion to sweeten up the sauce.
I also know many people who simmer Italian sausage and/or meatballs in their sauce as it cooks. Maybe this is where the difference in taste comes from. The spices in the sausage and meatballs add their own particular flavor to the sauce and depending on what kind of meat you use, you'll get different flavors. And adding cheese to the sauce is a different discussion entirely.
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Post by Clipper on Jun 16, 2012 8:01:04 GMT -5
As per a request from Chris, I opened a sub-board under "Food and Fun" that is a place to post your favorite recipes for others to try.
I think it would be great if that were to turn into a widely used and contributed to thread. I am always looking for something new and different to cook or eat.
From pancakes to pork butts, and canoli's to crabcakes. Let us share your favorites.
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Post by bobbbiez on Jun 16, 2012 22:35:16 GMT -5
BZ... you mentioned putting sugar in the sauce. Believe it or not, onion adds sweetness as well. I know some people can't tolerate one of the chemicals in onion, but for those who can, add some chopped onion to sweeten up the sauce. I also know many people who simmer Italian sausage and/or meatballs in their sauce as it cooks. Maybe this is where the difference in taste comes from. The spices in the sausage and meatballs add their own particular flavor to the sauce and depending on what kind of meat you use, you'll get different flavors. And adding cheese to the sauce is a different discussion entirely. Kit, I use sugar as my mother-in-law did because no one in my family besides me likes onions. Never put onions in my sauce but will use a few slices of peppers which gives the sauce a different taste. I too simmer my meatballs, pork and sausage in my sauce. Does give the sauce a much nicer favor. |
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Post by kit on Jun 17, 2012 8:27:29 GMT -5
BZ... I learned something new yesterday, thanks to someone who saw it on The Food Network, and would like to share it with you. If you put sugar in your sauce to help counteract the acid, use brown sugar instead of white. It has more neutralizing effect without adding more sweetness. Must have something to do with the molasses in the brown sugar. Next time you make a batch, try it and let me know how it works out.
A friend just shared an idea that I think is great. I make my own Italian sausage and it's sort of a pain to stuff it into casings, so I use it in bulk. She said to roll it into little balls and fry them like with meatballs, then simmer them in the sauce. You get the taste, pre-portions, and no hassle. I'm definitely going to try it.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2012 13:25:49 GMT -5
Do any of you use butter in place of oilve oil. I use both. Fry minced red onion and 5 garlic cloves large can of crushed tomatoe's ( I use the Italian plum tomatoes can never re,ember the name starts with a M--$3.50 a can) red wine, bring to boil them add fresh basil little sugar and pinch of naking soda( it gets rid of citric acid) sometime I use oragano too but that is another variation of my Mom's sauce. Lower to simmer. If I want meatballs or sausage I nuke them first in microwave then add to sauce. Sometimes I throw in a chunk of beef tenderloin and let that cook along with the meatballs and sausage.
In the summer I buy a prepared sauce from Victoria it $7.00 a bottle and I like it because they do not add citric acid.
Nothing like a good dish of macaroni and a jug of red wine on a Sunday. Watching reruns of Maryanne Esposito.
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Post by bobbbiez on Jun 17, 2012 20:51:28 GMT -5
BZ... I learned something new yesterday, thanks to someone who saw it on The Food Network, and would like to share it with you. If you put sugar in your sauce to help counteract the acid, use brown sugar instead of white. It has more neutralizing effect without adding more sweetness. Must have something to do with the molasses in the brown sugar. Next time you make a batch, try it and let me know how it works out. Thanks for the tip, Kit. Will do and will let you know how it comes out. |
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When making your Italian tomato sauce (for pasta, not pizza) do you spice it with oregano or basil? And do you use any other dominant spices? 
Kit, I use both, plus bay leaves and whatever else I want to throw in. Don't forget to throw in a tablespoon of sugar to cut down on the acid. 
