Grandma's (Aunt Esther's) Sicilian Meat Sauce for Pasta - Updated with link to Post Dispatch article & recipe - 2nd Update
One more update: My sister makes Grandma's meat sauce, and says that there are seven ingredients in addition to the meat, canned tomatoes with their juice, and tomato paste with water: onion (1 onion chopped), garlic (several cloves, minced), 1 T. basil, 1 t. oregano, 1 t. salt, 1/2 t. pepper, and 1 t. sugar. She puts the sugar in with the other spices, though I've heard it recommended to only add it at the very end of the cooking. She uses one large can of tomatoes, 3 small cans of tomato paste (with an equal amount of water), a pound of ground beef and a pound of Italian sausage (bulk).
Update: Dan Neman in the St. Louis Post Dispatch just ran an article on Italian food (as part of a series). He talks about Italian meat sauce and has tips for cooking it, along with a recipe that is similar to our family recipe: Mangia - Food from Italy The sauce recipe reminded me that Grandma liked to use canned Italian plum tomatoes for her sauce, as well as Contadina brand tomato paste. Dan Neman says to only add the tomato paste in the last half hour of cooking.
Original Post: I'm hoping to illustrate this with a photo sometime. Here is a copy of my cousin's copy of Grandma's meat sauce recipe:
Here's the note my cousin sent with the recipe:
When newly married, I of course did not know how to cook. So we would call the mom or aunt for a loved dish and ask for the recipe. Aunt Esther taught us a lot. We are very grateful for her friendship and guidance. She brought in east coast Italian to the family.
After the ingredients are assembled, this sauce cooks over very low heat for a long time (at least an hour, is my memory). It can be served over pasta, baked with mostaccoli, or used in making lasagna.
I'm hoping to update this with more info from other family members.
Update: Dan Neman in the St. Louis Post Dispatch just ran an article on Italian food (as part of a series). He talks about Italian meat sauce and has tips for cooking it, along with a recipe that is similar to our family recipe: Mangia - Food from Italy The sauce recipe reminded me that Grandma liked to use canned Italian plum tomatoes for her sauce, as well as Contadina brand tomato paste. Dan Neman says to only add the tomato paste in the last half hour of cooking.
Original Post: I'm hoping to illustrate this with a photo sometime. Here is a copy of my cousin's copy of Grandma's meat sauce recipe:
Here's the note my cousin sent with the recipe:
When newly married, I of course did not know how to cook. So we would call the mom or aunt for a loved dish and ask for the recipe. Aunt Esther taught us a lot. We are very grateful for her friendship and guidance. She brought in east coast Italian to the family.
After the ingredients are assembled, this sauce cooks over very low heat for a long time (at least an hour, is my memory). It can be served over pasta, baked with mostaccoli, or used in making lasagna.
I'm hoping to update this with more info from other family members.
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