Italian (American?) Meat Sauce Recipes?
October 11, 2024 9:52 AM Subscribe
I want to make spaghetti with a meat sauce from scratch - I'm both overwhelmed by the possibilities and excited to try multiple options. Where would you suggest I start - a traditional bolognese? an Italian-American Sunday gravy? just canned tomatoes with ground beef? a British spag bol? - and what are some good recipes?
My partner asked for spaghetti with meat sauce, which normally (for us) means sauce from a jar mixed with some ground beef. However, this time I want to make something from scratch and explore options a bit. I've tried googling, which has been sort of helpful, but I trust you all to have good, specific suggestions.
For context, I've never made a traditional bolognese, and I'm super interested in trying that, but I think it might be far enough from the American idea of a tomato-based "meat sauce" that I shouldn't start there. (But if you totally think I should start there, I'm not opposed to the idea!)
I also like project cooking, so recipes that take all day (or longer) are as welcome as quick, easy ones.
Links to recipes are great, but if you have a favorite recipe that's only in a book, please suggest it!
My partner asked for spaghetti with meat sauce, which normally (for us) means sauce from a jar mixed with some ground beef. However, this time I want to make something from scratch and explore options a bit. I've tried googling, which has been sort of helpful, but I trust you all to have good, specific suggestions.
For context, I've never made a traditional bolognese, and I'm super interested in trying that, but I think it might be far enough from the American idea of a tomato-based "meat sauce" that I shouldn't start there. (But if you totally think I should start there, I'm not opposed to the idea!)
I also like project cooking, so recipes that take all day (or longer) are as welcome as quick, easy ones.
Links to recipes are great, but if you have a favorite recipe that's only in a book, please suggest it!
Here's mine from my recipes - I'm British so I doubt any of these are authentic !!
Bolognese Variations
Serves two hungry people
1 large onion
500g mince or quorn mince
1 garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped
½ tube tomato puree
1 400g can of chopped tomatoes
½ oxo cube
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp oregano
Large pinch of salt
Optional: Chopped bell pepper
Wok
Chop and fry the onion and garlic the onion in the wok until the onion starts to soften
Add the mince and fry until brown.
Add the julienned bell pepper if using.
Add the can of tomatoes, tomato puree, salt, sugar and oregano to mix, turn down the heat until just simmering and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes
Variation 1: Spaghetti Bolognese
Add 2-3 tsp of additional oregano
Serve with spaghetti
Variation 2: Chili Con Carne
Add 1 can of red kidney beans - wash these thoroughly in a colander before adding to the mixture
Add 2-5 tsp Cayenne Pepper
Add both at the same time as you would the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients.
Serve with rice
Variation 3: Cottage Pie (Shepherd’s pie if you use lamb mince)
Add frozen peas and carrots about 10 minutes before it finishes simmering.
Make some mashed potato (boil potatoes until the point that they are disintegrating, then mash with a fork and add plenty of butter and a small amount of milk)
Add the bolognese sauce to an ovenproof dish, leave to cool for 5 minutes and then add the mashed potato to the top of this dish, and grate some cheddar cheese on top.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 190C
Variation 4: Sausages!
Cook 4 cheap sausages (not the ones with herbs in them) in a separate frying pan. Once cooked, remove from the frying pan and chop into pieces about 1.5cm in length. Add to the mixture at the same time as the tomatoes and other ingredients. Can be combined with any of the above.
Variation 5: Veggie
Use quorn mince and do not add the oxo cube (or sausages!)
posted by BigCalm at 10:21 AM on October 11 [2 favorites]
Bolognese Variations
Serves two hungry people
1 large onion
500g mince or quorn mince
1 garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped
½ tube tomato puree
1 400g can of chopped tomatoes
½ oxo cube
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp oregano
Large pinch of salt
Optional: Chopped bell pepper
Wok
Chop and fry the onion and garlic the onion in the wok until the onion starts to soften
Add the mince and fry until brown.
Add the julienned bell pepper if using.
Add the can of tomatoes, tomato puree, salt, sugar and oregano to mix, turn down the heat until just simmering and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes
Variation 1: Spaghetti Bolognese
Add 2-3 tsp of additional oregano
Serve with spaghetti
Variation 2: Chili Con Carne
Add 1 can of red kidney beans - wash these thoroughly in a colander before adding to the mixture
Add 2-5 tsp Cayenne Pepper
Add both at the same time as you would the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients.
Serve with rice
Variation 3: Cottage Pie (Shepherd’s pie if you use lamb mince)
Add frozen peas and carrots about 10 minutes before it finishes simmering.
Make some mashed potato (boil potatoes until the point that they are disintegrating, then mash with a fork and add plenty of butter and a small amount of milk)
Add the bolognese sauce to an ovenproof dish, leave to cool for 5 minutes and then add the mashed potato to the top of this dish, and grate some cheddar cheese on top.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 190C
Variation 4: Sausages!
Cook 4 cheap sausages (not the ones with herbs in them) in a separate frying pan. Once cooked, remove from the frying pan and chop into pieces about 1.5cm in length. Add to the mixture at the same time as the tomatoes and other ingredients. Can be combined with any of the above.
Variation 5: Veggie
Use quorn mince and do not add the oxo cube (or sausages!)
posted by BigCalm at 10:21 AM on October 11 [2 favorites]
This is BudgetByte's lasagna recipe, but I've started using the sauce portion of the recipe for my go-to homemade sauce. It's easy and delicious.
When you're ready to step up to a bolognese, I've made this (gifted nyt recipe), and it's amazing. It's not the same as a red sauce with meat, because it's a meat sauce with relatively little tomato. (the nyt recipe also says it's from Marcella Hazan, but looks a bit different from bcwinters' link). Be sure to splurge on good pasta too.
posted by hydra77 at 10:31 AM on October 11 [1 favorite]
When you're ready to step up to a bolognese, I've made this (gifted nyt recipe), and it's amazing. It's not the same as a red sauce with meat, because it's a meat sauce with relatively little tomato. (the nyt recipe also says it's from Marcella Hazan, but looks a bit different from bcwinters' link). Be sure to splurge on good pasta too.
posted by hydra77 at 10:31 AM on October 11 [1 favorite]
(the nyt recipe also says it's from Marcella Hazan, but looks a bit different from bcwinters' link)
Oh, interesting. My copy of the book is from 2000, and your NYT link is a better match to the book version than the one I linked to! (But of course it’s the kind of recipe that you can adapt however you like once you are comfortable with how the consistency changes over time.)
I’m going to also throw Ina Garten’s weeknight bolognese into the ring; one thing I like about her recipes is that instead of saying “salt to taste,” she always gives you a quantity (hey catering background) which is a big help for people who aren’t confident about how to season.
posted by bcwinters at 10:48 AM on October 11
Oh, interesting. My copy of the book is from 2000, and your NYT link is a better match to the book version than the one I linked to! (But of course it’s the kind of recipe that you can adapt however you like once you are comfortable with how the consistency changes over time.)
I’m going to also throw Ina Garten’s weeknight bolognese into the ring; one thing I like about her recipes is that instead of saying “salt to taste,” she always gives you a quantity (hey catering background) which is a big help for people who aren’t confident about how to season.
posted by bcwinters at 10:48 AM on October 11
Came in to point you to Marcella Hazan as linked above. Very reliable recipes that invite deviation once you build confidence.
Also here is approximately what I do when I want comfort food pasta with tomato meat sauce:
Dice a yellow onion, put that in a big pan in some regular olive oil (don’t waste the good stuff), salt and pepper, let it begin to sweat. Grate a whole big carrot into the pan, mix it together - the oil will turn a lovely orange - let the carrot and onion just begun to brown (this really adds a lot of natural sweetness).
Add in your ground meat, we prefer pork generally, you could do beef or even a combination or a sausage. If you use a sausage add less seasonings, otherwise salt and pepper liberally. Smush it up and incorporate the onions and carrots, then add a little water and bring it up to a simmer, put a lid on it and let it steam for a few minutes. This is going to help you brown it better later, just trust the process, it helps the fat render and everything cook more evenly. Optionally, add a bunch of diced mushrooms at this point too.
Meanwhile, smash, peel, and slice a large handful of garlic cloves. Take the cover off the pan and crank the heat up so the liquid cooks off and everything starts to brown. Wait a few minutes while the bottom layer starts to brown and then mix it up. Make a hollow in the center and pour some extra olive in there. Add your pile of garlic, a couple teaspoons of tomato paste, and your choice of dried herbs (I do an Italian herb blend I like that has no salt, plus fennel seeds, and some extra thyme.) Add chili flake if you like a little kick. Let it all sizzle in the oil for a minute or two. When it is very fragrant, incorporate it with the meat, spread it out and get some more browning on there.
Then add enough canned crushed and/or diced tomatoes to cover the meat mixture, plus about a cup of chicken stock or a glass of wine, whatever you’ve got. If you have neither add water with extra salt and a pinch of sugar plus a couple teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, you can also add Worcestershire sauce. Cover and let it cook at a low simmer for a long time. A couple hours if you’ve got it, maybe forty five minutes minimum. It should have a good body to it, doesn’t pool out when you scoop up a spoonful, but isn’t dry. Taste and season with salt and pepper, maybe a pinch of sugar, plus whatever fresh herbs you have (fennel fronds, diced celery leaves, parsley, basil, carrot tops, chives, it’s all good.)
Eat with pasta and some crunchy raw vegetables which can also be good to scoop up the sauce with, like bell peppers or green beans. Parmesan cheese is nice too but if you’ve salted it well be careful with throwing the seasoning off.
posted by Mizu at 10:54 AM on October 11 [4 favorites]
Also here is approximately what I do when I want comfort food pasta with tomato meat sauce:
Dice a yellow onion, put that in a big pan in some regular olive oil (don’t waste the good stuff), salt and pepper, let it begin to sweat. Grate a whole big carrot into the pan, mix it together - the oil will turn a lovely orange - let the carrot and onion just begun to brown (this really adds a lot of natural sweetness).
Add in your ground meat, we prefer pork generally, you could do beef or even a combination or a sausage. If you use a sausage add less seasonings, otherwise salt and pepper liberally. Smush it up and incorporate the onions and carrots, then add a little water and bring it up to a simmer, put a lid on it and let it steam for a few minutes. This is going to help you brown it better later, just trust the process, it helps the fat render and everything cook more evenly. Optionally, add a bunch of diced mushrooms at this point too.
Meanwhile, smash, peel, and slice a large handful of garlic cloves. Take the cover off the pan and crank the heat up so the liquid cooks off and everything starts to brown. Wait a few minutes while the bottom layer starts to brown and then mix it up. Make a hollow in the center and pour some extra olive in there. Add your pile of garlic, a couple teaspoons of tomato paste, and your choice of dried herbs (I do an Italian herb blend I like that has no salt, plus fennel seeds, and some extra thyme.) Add chili flake if you like a little kick. Let it all sizzle in the oil for a minute or two. When it is very fragrant, incorporate it with the meat, spread it out and get some more browning on there.
Then add enough canned crushed and/or diced tomatoes to cover the meat mixture, plus about a cup of chicken stock or a glass of wine, whatever you’ve got. If you have neither add water with extra salt and a pinch of sugar plus a couple teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, you can also add Worcestershire sauce. Cover and let it cook at a low simmer for a long time. A couple hours if you’ve got it, maybe forty five minutes minimum. It should have a good body to it, doesn’t pool out when you scoop up a spoonful, but isn’t dry. Taste and season with salt and pepper, maybe a pinch of sugar, plus whatever fresh herbs you have (fennel fronds, diced celery leaves, parsley, basil, carrot tops, chives, it’s all good.)
Eat with pasta and some crunchy raw vegetables which can also be good to scoop up the sauce with, like bell peppers or green beans. Parmesan cheese is nice too but if you’ve salted it well be careful with throwing the seasoning off.
posted by Mizu at 10:54 AM on October 11 [4 favorites]
Kenji's The Best Slow Cooked Bolognese is incredibly delicious. Be aware that shopping for the ingredients will probably take you 1-2 hours. Prep and assembly is probably 30 to 60 minutes and then 4 hours in the oven to cook. This is very much a special occasion recipe.
One of the other Serious Editors has a basic Ragu Bolognese recipe. It is much simpler than Kenji's recipe but still pretty delicious.
Over the years I've learned that you can take pieces of Kenji's elaborate recipe and freestyle a bit in order to plus up the basic recipe.
posted by mmascolino at 11:07 AM on October 11 [2 favorites]
One of the other Serious Editors has a basic Ragu Bolognese recipe. It is much simpler than Kenji's recipe but still pretty delicious.
Over the years I've learned that you can take pieces of Kenji's elaborate recipe and freestyle a bit in order to plus up the basic recipe.
posted by mmascolino at 11:07 AM on October 11 [2 favorites]
means sauce from a jar mixed with some ground beef
That's edible but what you want is something that will be (relatively speaking) revelatory. I'm the kind of person who cooks a lot by feel, I'll just throw together a red sauce from what I've got to hand, which is usually some combination of:
1) Canned tomatoes. San Marzano is the usual recommendation, but you can get away with something less pricey and it's not going to sink the bismarck.
2) Loose sausage and/or a better cut of beef than just ground chuck or sirloin. Perhaps short rib or another cut that is often braised. Brown the outsides first, separately. Sausage I would wait to add until later in the sauce's simmer time, since like ground meat it probably won't stand up as well to long braising.
3) Either fresh or dried herbs such as basil or oregano. Fresh and dried will bring different flavor profiles so you can experiment to find what you prefer.
4) Aromatics: Onion and garlic for sure. Shallots if you prefer them to onion is certainly an option. These go in first with some oil to get their browning on.
5) A little vinegar. Red wine or balsamic is what I usually use.
6) Dried chili flake, or jarred calabrian chili (or just the oil from the jar even). Depends on your desire for spicy-heat.
7) If you want more even umami consider adding something like Worcestershire, or even fish sauce or a bit of soy. Fish sauce is an old trick for adding umami to anything, you may think it will add fishiness but it doesn't.
8) Experiment with your spice rack. Cumin? Sure. Celery seed? Probably. Chili powder? Now we're moving into a hybrid chili-pasta sauce territory but you're not the first to go there. If it tastes good eat it. Wait until everything is well combined to taste and see if you need to add salt.
9) Cooking time: At least an hour if you're just trying to get dinner on the table. Longer if you plan ahead.
posted by axiom at 11:12 AM on October 11 [1 favorite]
That's edible but what you want is something that will be (relatively speaking) revelatory. I'm the kind of person who cooks a lot by feel, I'll just throw together a red sauce from what I've got to hand, which is usually some combination of:
1) Canned tomatoes. San Marzano is the usual recommendation, but you can get away with something less pricey and it's not going to sink the bismarck.
2) Loose sausage and/or a better cut of beef than just ground chuck or sirloin. Perhaps short rib or another cut that is often braised. Brown the outsides first, separately. Sausage I would wait to add until later in the sauce's simmer time, since like ground meat it probably won't stand up as well to long braising.
3) Either fresh or dried herbs such as basil or oregano. Fresh and dried will bring different flavor profiles so you can experiment to find what you prefer.
4) Aromatics: Onion and garlic for sure. Shallots if you prefer them to onion is certainly an option. These go in first with some oil to get their browning on.
5) A little vinegar. Red wine or balsamic is what I usually use.
6) Dried chili flake, or jarred calabrian chili (or just the oil from the jar even). Depends on your desire for spicy-heat.
7) If you want more even umami consider adding something like Worcestershire, or even fish sauce or a bit of soy. Fish sauce is an old trick for adding umami to anything, you may think it will add fishiness but it doesn't.
8) Experiment with your spice rack. Cumin? Sure. Celery seed? Probably. Chili powder? Now we're moving into a hybrid chili-pasta sauce territory but you're not the first to go there. If it tastes good eat it. Wait until everything is well combined to taste and see if you need to add salt.
9) Cooking time: At least an hour if you're just trying to get dinner on the table. Longer if you plan ahead.
posted by axiom at 11:12 AM on October 11 [1 favorite]
This is different from the Italian American red sauce with meat, but it's delicious.
And here's his more supposedly authentic Italian version I haven't tried.
posted by sepviva at 11:45 AM on October 11
And here's his more supposedly authentic Italian version I haven't tried.
posted by sepviva at 11:45 AM on October 11
If you like rich, thick, meaty sauces mom's spaghetti sauce is by far the best I've tasted. There no ground beef or sausage, instead, use leftover cooked pork chops or shoulder (with the bone) and a couple of chicken legs/thighs.
Fry a couple of garlic cloves in olive oil, then add two of those little cans of tomato paste and fry that a bit too. Move it all to a slow cooker and add a big can of tomato puree and an equal amount of chicken stock along with a couple of bay leaves and a pinch of sugar and baking soda. Toss in the pork shoulder and chicken and let it simmer on low 4-12 hours, until the meat is falling off the bones. Scoop out the bones and add meatballs or Italian sausage for the last hour before serving. My slow cooker is pretty big so I usually double the recipe for even more rich meaty goodness.
posted by platinum at 2:24 PM on October 11 [1 favorite]
Fry a couple of garlic cloves in olive oil, then add two of those little cans of tomato paste and fry that a bit too. Move it all to a slow cooker and add a big can of tomato puree and an equal amount of chicken stock along with a couple of bay leaves and a pinch of sugar and baking soda. Toss in the pork shoulder and chicken and let it simmer on low 4-12 hours, until the meat is falling off the bones. Scoop out the bones and add meatballs or Italian sausage for the last hour before serving. My slow cooker is pretty big so I usually double the recipe for even more rich meaty goodness.
posted by platinum at 2:24 PM on October 11 [1 favorite]
Sorry, accidentally double posted. Hate posting on my phone!
posted by platinum at 2:26 PM on October 11
posted by platinum at 2:26 PM on October 11
I don’t have a recipe to link.
I take some minced beef and brown it. Add some tomato paste to the pan and allow that to cook for a minute or so.
Add finely diced/grated onion, carrots, celery. I have been known to add a lot of veg to my sauce, up to equal amount to the beef. If you want to add garlic add it after the veg. You don’t want to overcook or burn it.
Add chopped tomatoes or passata. I rinse out the tins or bottles with a bit of water that goes into the pot as well. Deglaze your pot as you add this. You want the browned goodness on the bottom of the pot to be in the sauce.
Add some seasoning (salt, pepper, dried herbs like rosemary and oregano), Worcestershire sauce.
It should be a bit runny at this point. Add more water or some wine if required. Go easy on the broth. You’ll reduce this down quite a bit and flavour will intensify. Simmer on a low heat for an hr or two. Periodically check, stir and make sure there is still some liquid. Add a bit more water if needed.
It is critical that you allow this to simmer for a long time. It melds the various flavours together. Assuming your veg is finely chopped or grated, it will almost disappear but adds much more flavour than just tomatoes and will give a lovely consistency.
After an hr or two, as you approach a pleasing consistency, taste and adjust seasoning. This is where you‘d add any fresh herbs if you have any to hand. Some recipes will have you add cream or whatever. It’s all good.
Once you have a recipe you enjoy know this kind of sauce is easy to make a day ahead and also freezes well. So pick an afternoon or evening and make a huge pot. Takes the same amount of time and number of dishes as a small pot and future you will thank you.
posted by koahiatamadl at 4:33 PM on October 11 [2 favorites]
I take some minced beef and brown it. Add some tomato paste to the pan and allow that to cook for a minute or so.
Add finely diced/grated onion, carrots, celery. I have been known to add a lot of veg to my sauce, up to equal amount to the beef. If you want to add garlic add it after the veg. You don’t want to overcook or burn it.
Add chopped tomatoes or passata. I rinse out the tins or bottles with a bit of water that goes into the pot as well. Deglaze your pot as you add this. You want the browned goodness on the bottom of the pot to be in the sauce.
Add some seasoning (salt, pepper, dried herbs like rosemary and oregano), Worcestershire sauce.
It should be a bit runny at this point. Add more water or some wine if required. Go easy on the broth. You’ll reduce this down quite a bit and flavour will intensify. Simmer on a low heat for an hr or two. Periodically check, stir and make sure there is still some liquid. Add a bit more water if needed.
It is critical that you allow this to simmer for a long time. It melds the various flavours together. Assuming your veg is finely chopped or grated, it will almost disappear but adds much more flavour than just tomatoes and will give a lovely consistency.
After an hr or two, as you approach a pleasing consistency, taste and adjust seasoning. This is where you‘d add any fresh herbs if you have any to hand. Some recipes will have you add cream or whatever. It’s all good.
Once you have a recipe you enjoy know this kind of sauce is easy to make a day ahead and also freezes well. So pick an afternoon or evening and make a huge pot. Takes the same amount of time and number of dishes as a small pot and future you will thank you.
posted by koahiatamadl at 4:33 PM on October 11 [2 favorites]
Have tried and loved both:
Heston Blumenthal's spag bol
Andre Ursini's spag bol
posted by Ardnamurchan at 5:49 PM on October 11
Heston Blumenthal's spag bol
Andre Ursini's spag bol
posted by Ardnamurchan at 5:49 PM on October 11
I've been making this multiple times a year since it was first published.
posted by Runes at 6:51 PM on October 11
posted by Runes at 6:51 PM on October 11
Here's how I make a meat sauce for pasta:
Sit the deep half of my cast iron combo set on the small back hotplate of my crappy electric stove and set that to 6 (maximum) to warm up.
Put in a bit of olive oil and wipe it around just to convince myself that the cast iron has a fighting chance against tomato acids. I do that with my fingers because the pot hasn't warmed up yet.
Dump in one big can (850g) or two small ones (440g) of tinned crushed or diced tomatoes. Put a splash of water in each can, swirl it around to pick up tomato bits stuck to the side of the can, and dump that in the pot as well. Do that twice per can. Cans are now clean and go straight into the recycling box.
Walk out to the back yard and pick two leaves off the bay tree, two leaves off the lemon myrtle bush, and break 15cm off a branch of the rosemary bush. Bring those back into the kitchen and sink them in the tomatoes.
Turn the back hotplate down to 2 because there's a bit of heat coming off it now and I don't want the tomatoes getting cooked more aggressively than a gentle simmer.
Get a 1kg bag of kangaroo mince out of the freezer, put the whole thing in the microwave, and set it on maximum for 5 minutes.
While the microwave is nuking the frozen mince, load the stone mortar with a dessertspoon of whole black pepper, a dessertspoon of whole coriander seed, two or three whole cloves, two lobes off a piece of star anise, and three teaspoons of rock salt. Grind those to a fine powder. If the microwave finishes but hasn't mostly thawed the meat, give it another couple of minutes and keep grindng.
When the microwave has finished and the spices are all ground fine, take out the bag of mince, sit it on a dinner plate, slit it open down the middle and fold back the flaps so that the slab of mostly-thawed mince is fully exposed yet all the bloody juices stay contained. Sprinkle half the powdered spice and salt mix over the exposed surface.
Sit the shallow half of the cast iron combo set on the big front hotplate and set that to 6. Add a generous glug of olive oil and spread that around the pan. While that's heating up, put the chopping board and the ice cream container where the food scraps go onto the table and fetch a couple of brown onions from the pantry, a green capsicum from the fridge, and a knife and tongs from the drawer.
By the time the oil smells hot, the mince juices will have completely soaked the spice mix. Using the tongs, transfer the mince slab into the hot pan spiced side down, and smoosh it around a bit so it covers the entire hot surface. Sprinkle the other half of the ground spice mix over the top.
Put the bloody bag and dinner plate on the floor for the dog, give the mortar a rinse out (if I just leave it dusty, the powdered salt will attract moisture and make it sticky) and sit it upside down on a folded tea towel to dry off.
While the meat browns, start peeling and chopping the onions, and seeding and chopping the green capsicum. Discarded peels, stems and seed webs go straight in the scraps container. I try to get as much from each vegetable as I can and chop both of them quite finely, so this takes me a while. The meat will usually smell like it's browning well before I'm done, and when it does, I put the veg prep on pause to turn the mince slab over. It usually comes to pieces a bit when I do that, but as long as most of it ends up upside down from where it was, that's OK.
By the time the onions and capsicum have been reduced to nice chopped piles, the second side of the mince will be close to done. Once it's formed a bit of a browned crust underneath I'll attack it with my stainless steel potato masher and angled wooden spatula to turn the more or less coherent slab into a crumbly brown pile, then dump it all into the simmering tomato pot.
There will be a fair bit of brownings stuck to the pan at this point, so it's time to clean that off. Pan goes back on the blazing hotplate, in goes a generous cup of half-decent red wine (shiraz is good), a good glug of soy sauce, a squirt of worcestershire and one of balsamic vinegar, then I just work the bottom with my wooden spatula until there's nothing stuck to it any more and the wine is almost completely boiled off and what's left of it has started to thicken just a little. Then that gets scraped out into the tomato pot and stirred well in.
The deglazed pan now goes back on the hotplate. It gets another sklurch of olive oil, then all the chopped vegetables, and a generous dollop of minced garlic from the jar in the fridge. I used to use fresh garlic but I actually prefer the commercial mince now - it comes packed in some kind of cheap industrial vinegar whose flavour I miss when it's not there.
Turn the hotplate down to 1, then keep the chopped vegetables moving until the onion has softened and yellowed. Sometimes I'll sprinkle on a little turmeric to cheat the yellow a bit. Once it's all softened and looks like it's threatening to begin to think about browning, it goes in the tomato pot and gets stirred in.
The back hotplate now gets turned off, the tomato pot gets pulled from the back hotplate onto the front one, and the shallow pan goes on top for a lid. It sits and simmers for a bit while I return the scraps container to its place next to the sink, put the licked-clean mince bag in the bin and the dinner plate in the dishwasher, and give the chopping board a scrub down under hot running water. I also go over the stove with a damp cloth at this point to clean up frying spatter while it's still hot - so much less work than if it's allowed to cool off.
Now it's time to thicken the sauce, and stirring in half a jar (about 200g) of tomato paste does that nicely. Then it's time to salt it, and I do that with Massel chicken-style stock powder, thoroughly stirring in a bit at a time and tasting as I go.
The last ingredient is milk. The pot is pretty close to full at this point so I have to go carefully, but I generally manage to get about half a cup in there. It turns the sauce a weird pink colour to begin with but that disappears with a bit of stirring.
Turn the hotplate off and fish out the bay and lemon myrtle leaves with the tongs, along with the stem from the rosemary stalk (if the rosemary leaves haven't already fallen off by themselves, drawing the stalk through the tongs will knock them off). Final stir, lid back on, and the sauce rests while I cook the spaghetti.
posted by flabdablet at 7:58 PM on October 11 [1 favorite]
Sit the deep half of my cast iron combo set on the small back hotplate of my crappy electric stove and set that to 6 (maximum) to warm up.
Put in a bit of olive oil and wipe it around just to convince myself that the cast iron has a fighting chance against tomato acids. I do that with my fingers because the pot hasn't warmed up yet.
Dump in one big can (850g) or two small ones (440g) of tinned crushed or diced tomatoes. Put a splash of water in each can, swirl it around to pick up tomato bits stuck to the side of the can, and dump that in the pot as well. Do that twice per can. Cans are now clean and go straight into the recycling box.
Walk out to the back yard and pick two leaves off the bay tree, two leaves off the lemon myrtle bush, and break 15cm off a branch of the rosemary bush. Bring those back into the kitchen and sink them in the tomatoes.
Turn the back hotplate down to 2 because there's a bit of heat coming off it now and I don't want the tomatoes getting cooked more aggressively than a gentle simmer.
Get a 1kg bag of kangaroo mince out of the freezer, put the whole thing in the microwave, and set it on maximum for 5 minutes.
While the microwave is nuking the frozen mince, load the stone mortar with a dessertspoon of whole black pepper, a dessertspoon of whole coriander seed, two or three whole cloves, two lobes off a piece of star anise, and three teaspoons of rock salt. Grind those to a fine powder. If the microwave finishes but hasn't mostly thawed the meat, give it another couple of minutes and keep grindng.
When the microwave has finished and the spices are all ground fine, take out the bag of mince, sit it on a dinner plate, slit it open down the middle and fold back the flaps so that the slab of mostly-thawed mince is fully exposed yet all the bloody juices stay contained. Sprinkle half the powdered spice and salt mix over the exposed surface.
Sit the shallow half of the cast iron combo set on the big front hotplate and set that to 6. Add a generous glug of olive oil and spread that around the pan. While that's heating up, put the chopping board and the ice cream container where the food scraps go onto the table and fetch a couple of brown onions from the pantry, a green capsicum from the fridge, and a knife and tongs from the drawer.
By the time the oil smells hot, the mince juices will have completely soaked the spice mix. Using the tongs, transfer the mince slab into the hot pan spiced side down, and smoosh it around a bit so it covers the entire hot surface. Sprinkle the other half of the ground spice mix over the top.
Put the bloody bag and dinner plate on the floor for the dog, give the mortar a rinse out (if I just leave it dusty, the powdered salt will attract moisture and make it sticky) and sit it upside down on a folded tea towel to dry off.
While the meat browns, start peeling and chopping the onions, and seeding and chopping the green capsicum. Discarded peels, stems and seed webs go straight in the scraps container. I try to get as much from each vegetable as I can and chop both of them quite finely, so this takes me a while. The meat will usually smell like it's browning well before I'm done, and when it does, I put the veg prep on pause to turn the mince slab over. It usually comes to pieces a bit when I do that, but as long as most of it ends up upside down from where it was, that's OK.
By the time the onions and capsicum have been reduced to nice chopped piles, the second side of the mince will be close to done. Once it's formed a bit of a browned crust underneath I'll attack it with my stainless steel potato masher and angled wooden spatula to turn the more or less coherent slab into a crumbly brown pile, then dump it all into the simmering tomato pot.
There will be a fair bit of brownings stuck to the pan at this point, so it's time to clean that off. Pan goes back on the blazing hotplate, in goes a generous cup of half-decent red wine (shiraz is good), a good glug of soy sauce, a squirt of worcestershire and one of balsamic vinegar, then I just work the bottom with my wooden spatula until there's nothing stuck to it any more and the wine is almost completely boiled off and what's left of it has started to thicken just a little. Then that gets scraped out into the tomato pot and stirred well in.
The deglazed pan now goes back on the hotplate. It gets another sklurch of olive oil, then all the chopped vegetables, and a generous dollop of minced garlic from the jar in the fridge. I used to use fresh garlic but I actually prefer the commercial mince now - it comes packed in some kind of cheap industrial vinegar whose flavour I miss when it's not there.
Turn the hotplate down to 1, then keep the chopped vegetables moving until the onion has softened and yellowed. Sometimes I'll sprinkle on a little turmeric to cheat the yellow a bit. Once it's all softened and looks like it's threatening to begin to think about browning, it goes in the tomato pot and gets stirred in.
The back hotplate now gets turned off, the tomato pot gets pulled from the back hotplate onto the front one, and the shallow pan goes on top for a lid. It sits and simmers for a bit while I return the scraps container to its place next to the sink, put the licked-clean mince bag in the bin and the dinner plate in the dishwasher, and give the chopping board a scrub down under hot running water. I also go over the stove with a damp cloth at this point to clean up frying spatter while it's still hot - so much less work than if it's allowed to cool off.
Now it's time to thicken the sauce, and stirring in half a jar (about 200g) of tomato paste does that nicely. Then it's time to salt it, and I do that with Massel chicken-style stock powder, thoroughly stirring in a bit at a time and tasting as I go.
The last ingredient is milk. The pot is pretty close to full at this point so I have to go carefully, but I generally manage to get about half a cup in there. It turns the sauce a weird pink colour to begin with but that disappears with a bit of stirring.
Turn the hotplate off and fish out the bay and lemon myrtle leaves with the tongs, along with the stem from the rosemary stalk (if the rosemary leaves haven't already fallen off by themselves, drawing the stalk through the tongs will knock them off). Final stir, lid back on, and the sauce rests while I cook the spaghetti.
posted by flabdablet at 7:58 PM on October 11 [1 favorite]
That's the same sauce I'll use for a lasagne, by the way. And when I make that, I'll assemble it a day ahead and leave it sit in the fridge overnight before baking it.
What koahiatamadl said about flavours melding over time is spot-on. I don't think there's a need for extended cooking times for the whole of a sauce like this - it's easy to simmer away flavours that are better left in place - but if you can make a good pasta sauce a day ahead and then re-heat it just before use, it's definitely better.
Tomatoes specifically, though, absolutely do improve with cooking, which is why I start putting the heat to mine as the very first step in the process. I put the tomato paste in late, though - tomato paste is already as cooked as it's ever going to get and there's no need to risk burning stuff onto the bottom of the pot from premature thickening.
posted by flabdablet at 8:17 PM on October 11
What koahiatamadl said about flavours melding over time is spot-on. I don't think there's a need for extended cooking times for the whole of a sauce like this - it's easy to simmer away flavours that are better left in place - but if you can make a good pasta sauce a day ahead and then re-heat it just before use, it's definitely better.
Tomatoes specifically, though, absolutely do improve with cooking, which is why I start putting the heat to mine as the very first step in the process. I put the tomato paste in late, though - tomato paste is already as cooked as it's ever going to get and there's no need to risk burning stuff onto the bottom of the pot from premature thickening.
posted by flabdablet at 8:17 PM on October 11
Sunday Gravy = pork shoulder (pork butt) with the bone, braised in tomato liquid.
Trim big chunks of fat from, then brown the big piece of pork on all sides. Brown it well. More than you think you should. Rough cut a large onion and sauté with a lot of olive oil it in the pot you where you browned the meat (after removing the meat... just set it in a bowl for a while). Cook until it's a little softened and brown, then add a lot of chopped garlic (even a whole head, this will cook so much it will not be too garlicky). Sautee the garlic for like 30 seconds max, add some hot pepper flakes. Don't burn the garlic or let it get past cornflake color!!! (that's the only detail you gotta worry about). Throwing the tomatoes in stops the garlic from browning too much.
Then add pureed or chopped canned Marzano tomatoes and water, salt, pepper and herbs. I use thyme, oregano and a bunch of fresh parsley that I tie with butchers string. Leave some of the meat above the sauce line so it browns more in the oven. The liquid should be more watery than like a thick tomato sauce. It will thicken later. You can use some white wine in it too, but use mostly water.
Cook this uncovered in the oven at like 300F for a long time, at least an hour and a half, more if it's a big piece of pork. Take the meat out, discard the bone. Discard the bunch of parsely and any thyme stems you come across. Cool the meat a bit, then shred/pull the pork (I like irregular sizes of pieces) and return it to the sauce. Toss any globs of fat you find while shredding. If it's greasy, skim some of the liquid fat off and discard, but IME it usually isn't. Simmer until it thickens, but not too much. If for some reason it's still too watery, add a generous squirt of tomato paste and stir. Taste it for salt. It will likely need more salt.
You can add one or two italian sausages (skin removed) when the pork is nearly done browning, but I find that this makes the entire dish taste like italian sausage. Not a BAD thing, but I prefer the more subtle flavor of the pork shoulder and your own herbs. I know some people use pork chops, but I find the meat dries out too much versus shoulder. But hey, it works.
I boil something like those big tube pastas (something chunky and thick) until it's nearly done, then drain and add some of the meat sauce to the pasta. You will likely need to add a little water as at this point it will continue to thicken. Cook the pasta in the sauce for another 3-5 mins until it's done.
I serve this with fresh torn basil leaves and a scoop of cold ricotta cheese to the side of it. Top with real grated Parmesan.
The key is to think of it more like you are making pulled-pork versus "sauce". You can always add more Marzano puree at the end if it's not tomato-saucy enough, too. I kind of like doing this as it brightens the tomato flavor a bit.
I eyeball everything. It's good to make a large piece of meat (~4 pounds) and just have an extra can or two of tomatoes just in case. You will use at least one big can of tomatoes, and more likely one big can and 1-2 smaller cans. If you don't use the tomatoes? Just put them back in the cabinet. This pulled pork and sauce freezes really well. I find it's easier to make a big batch and just freeze leftovers.
This tastes better the next day, but fresh-cook the pasta of course.
You can also throw 3-5 tablespoons of tomato paste in with the onions when you sauté them. This will darken and brown and maybe even go a little black in places, so be careful. But I find frying the paste really draws out a rich, almost raisin type flavor. If you do this you will need to add more water and wine as the cooked paste will thicken it even more. Even a little black will be ok, I promise. It creates a dark, rich complex flavor. Just don't burn it too much, make sure you have plenty of olive oil in the pan when you do this.
I have no Italian heritage in my blood, but I figured this out watching some cooking shows and eating at American-Italian restaurants, and have made it my own. As long as nothing burns (which is hard to do unless you really space out) you cannot screw this up. Don't sweat details and quantity.
And every person who I have fed this to has loved it.
And I do not add sugar. I find it does not need it, and it give it a "processed" taste to me, but it's not a big deal if you like it.
posted by SoberHighland at 8:22 PM on October 11 [2 favorites]
Trim big chunks of fat from, then brown the big piece of pork on all sides. Brown it well. More than you think you should. Rough cut a large onion and sauté with a lot of olive oil it in the pot you where you browned the meat (after removing the meat... just set it in a bowl for a while). Cook until it's a little softened and brown, then add a lot of chopped garlic (even a whole head, this will cook so much it will not be too garlicky). Sautee the garlic for like 30 seconds max, add some hot pepper flakes. Don't burn the garlic or let it get past cornflake color!!! (that's the only detail you gotta worry about). Throwing the tomatoes in stops the garlic from browning too much.
Then add pureed or chopped canned Marzano tomatoes and water, salt, pepper and herbs. I use thyme, oregano and a bunch of fresh parsley that I tie with butchers string. Leave some of the meat above the sauce line so it browns more in the oven. The liquid should be more watery than like a thick tomato sauce. It will thicken later. You can use some white wine in it too, but use mostly water.
Cook this uncovered in the oven at like 300F for a long time, at least an hour and a half, more if it's a big piece of pork. Take the meat out, discard the bone. Discard the bunch of parsely and any thyme stems you come across. Cool the meat a bit, then shred/pull the pork (I like irregular sizes of pieces) and return it to the sauce. Toss any globs of fat you find while shredding. If it's greasy, skim some of the liquid fat off and discard, but IME it usually isn't. Simmer until it thickens, but not too much. If for some reason it's still too watery, add a generous squirt of tomato paste and stir. Taste it for salt. It will likely need more salt.
You can add one or two italian sausages (skin removed) when the pork is nearly done browning, but I find that this makes the entire dish taste like italian sausage. Not a BAD thing, but I prefer the more subtle flavor of the pork shoulder and your own herbs. I know some people use pork chops, but I find the meat dries out too much versus shoulder. But hey, it works.
I boil something like those big tube pastas (something chunky and thick) until it's nearly done, then drain and add some of the meat sauce to the pasta. You will likely need to add a little water as at this point it will continue to thicken. Cook the pasta in the sauce for another 3-5 mins until it's done.
I serve this with fresh torn basil leaves and a scoop of cold ricotta cheese to the side of it. Top with real grated Parmesan.
The key is to think of it more like you are making pulled-pork versus "sauce". You can always add more Marzano puree at the end if it's not tomato-saucy enough, too. I kind of like doing this as it brightens the tomato flavor a bit.
I eyeball everything. It's good to make a large piece of meat (~4 pounds) and just have an extra can or two of tomatoes just in case. You will use at least one big can of tomatoes, and more likely one big can and 1-2 smaller cans. If you don't use the tomatoes? Just put them back in the cabinet. This pulled pork and sauce freezes really well. I find it's easier to make a big batch and just freeze leftovers.
This tastes better the next day, but fresh-cook the pasta of course.
You can also throw 3-5 tablespoons of tomato paste in with the onions when you sauté them. This will darken and brown and maybe even go a little black in places, so be careful. But I find frying the paste really draws out a rich, almost raisin type flavor. If you do this you will need to add more water and wine as the cooked paste will thicken it even more. Even a little black will be ok, I promise. It creates a dark, rich complex flavor. Just don't burn it too much, make sure you have plenty of olive oil in the pan when you do this.
I have no Italian heritage in my blood, but I figured this out watching some cooking shows and eating at American-Italian restaurants, and have made it my own. As long as nothing burns (which is hard to do unless you really space out) you cannot screw this up. Don't sweat details and quantity.
And every person who I have fed this to has loved it.
And I do not add sugar. I find it does not need it, and it give it a "processed" taste to me, but it's not a big deal if you like it.
posted by SoberHighland at 8:22 PM on October 11 [2 favorites]
The triad of onion, carrots and celery is the absolute backbone of huge amounts of cuisine. When you have no idea what you're doing, just fry those three things in olive oil to begin with and then see what happens.
Browning meat to the point of leaving bits of itself behind on the cookware, then cleaning that off by boiling wine down on top of it while you rub (if you're fancy, you call this "deglazing") is foundational to a lot of wonderful concoctions as well.
My pasta sauce doesn't have the carrots because I generally find enough sweetness in the tomatoes and milk, and I sub green capsicum for celery because I personally prefer the complex bitterness of green capsicum to the complex bitterness of celery and there is in any case a fair bit of celery in the Massel chicken-style stock powder.
The beauty of cooking stuff from scratch is that it gives you the opportunity to play with all these things and find what suits you the best on any given day.
Recipes get a lot less intimidating once you glean a basic understanding of what the various steps are actually supposed to achieve.
Most of what I know about cookery, I learned by (a) helping my mother in the kitchen as a kid and (b) making a total commitment to eating my own disasters as an adult.
It's pretty rare to find nothing in a disaster that's worth trying to recreate the next time around. Burnt is a completely valid flavour - the trick is learning to use it judiciously.
posted by flabdablet at 8:41 PM on October 11 [1 favorite]
Browning meat to the point of leaving bits of itself behind on the cookware, then cleaning that off by boiling wine down on top of it while you rub (if you're fancy, you call this "deglazing") is foundational to a lot of wonderful concoctions as well.
My pasta sauce doesn't have the carrots because I generally find enough sweetness in the tomatoes and milk, and I sub green capsicum for celery because I personally prefer the complex bitterness of green capsicum to the complex bitterness of celery and there is in any case a fair bit of celery in the Massel chicken-style stock powder.
The beauty of cooking stuff from scratch is that it gives you the opportunity to play with all these things and find what suits you the best on any given day.
Recipes get a lot less intimidating once you glean a basic understanding of what the various steps are actually supposed to achieve.
Most of what I know about cookery, I learned by (a) helping my mother in the kitchen as a kid and (b) making a total commitment to eating my own disasters as an adult.
It's pretty rare to find nothing in a disaster that's worth trying to recreate the next time around. Burnt is a completely valid flavour - the trick is learning to use it judiciously.
posted by flabdablet at 8:41 PM on October 11 [1 favorite]
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posted by bcwinters at 10:13 AM on October 11 [2 favorites]