When the local Pathmark store was in the process of closing, they had three #10 cans of Cento San Marzano tomatoes discounted 30%. Of course I had to buy them.
I knew Victor would be making sauce, soon. That soon became today!
It is just so nice to have the smell of sauce wafting through the house… The onions and the garlic… the sausages… the simmering tomatoes in all their Italian glory… It is gastronomic heaven!
He first purees the tomatoes since they come whole and peeled… and after it simmers, I come in with my trusty pressure canner and put it all into jars for future dinners…
It would definitely be a chore to do this all by oneself, but with Victor doing the cooking and me doing the canning, it’s a breeze.
I got 11 quarts of sauce – enough to get us through to the first of the year – I think. It is sooooooo much better than buying sauce at the grocery store.
I’m a happy guy!
Here’s the basic recipe. Multiply, as desired…
Victor’s Pasta Sauce
- 2 – 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes
- 1 – Sm can tomato paste
- 1-2 cloves of garlic (or to taste if you like more) chopped fine
- Olive oil
- Dried Italian seasonings
- Hot red pepper flakes (a tsp or more or less to taste)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Red wine (always cook with a decent wine, never “cooking” wine) about a cup or cup and a half
- Meat – such as Italian sausage or some nice beef or pork ribs or pork chops
Ok…I ALWAYS make my sauce with meat, so start with a deep, heavy pot and add about 3-4 TBS of olive oil. On high heat, once the oil is hot, start frying the sausage or pork, Let the meat get good and caramelized although you don’t have to cook it all the way through because you’ll add it back to the sauce to finish. Once the meat is browned take it out of the pot, put it on a plate and set aside.
Lower the heat to medium and sauté the tomato paste for a couple of minutes until it begins to “melt”. Add the chopped garlic and sauté with the tomato paste for just a minute (no longer or it will burn). Then add about a cup of the red wine and deglaze the pan with it, scrapping up all the good bits that stuck to the bottom when cooking the meat.
When the wine reduces by about ½ start adding the canned tomatoes. Add one can of hot water for every can of tomatoes you use.
Now start adding the dried Italian seasonings. I eyeball it but I would guess a good 2 TBS is fine. Add about another ½ cup of red wine, with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir everything into the sauce. It will be very thin at this point.
Add back the cooked meat. Now this is important….at the bottom of the plate you let the meat rest on will be some of the oil and juices that seeped out. Pour that back into the pot. It has a lot of flavor in it.
Bring the sauce back to a boil then turn the heat down low and let it simmer for at least 1 and a half hours, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes to keep it from burning. It should reduce by about a third or a little less and get thicker. The meat will absorb the sauce and get very tender.
When I make meatballs, I don’t fry them, I bake them on a sheet pan. When I do, I add them to the simmering sauce when they’re done so they also absorb the flavor.
I usually make the sauce early in the day and after it’s done, just let it sit on the stove until dinner then I re-heat it. This should make enough sauce for a couple of dinners or good sized lasagna.
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OOOOOOOH this looks so good. Some day i will become brave and do some canning
It’s really pretty simple. And so worth it! 🙂
how long do you process the quarts? Pressure? What altitude are you?
Hi, Barb!
I process for 15 minutes at 11lbs pressure. We’re by Valley Forge – roughly the same elevation as you. It’s soooooo easy – and so WORTH having real sauce available!