The Dean Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Don't listen to a thing The Dean wrote. All this cooking talk implies he pays his utility bills and therefore has a functional kitchen. Ain't no one believes that! Maybe my utilities are included. hah..I think Dean must be a pro or former pro chef of some kind. Hardly. Just a home cook with a limited range to be truthful. I try to put some professional techniques to work, when I can. I have WAY too much respect for professional chefs to even pretend to be one. Although, I sometimes think chefs aren't always the greatest cooks---with traditional ethnic dishes, for examples. Old grandmothers (and grandfathers) sometimes can sometimes out-cook a trained chef, IMO. I'm making sauce for my daughters birthday meal on Sunday (will make the sauce on Saturday afternoon and let it sit)...with homemade meatballs. Use the same recipe/process as my mom - seems to come ok pretty good. I want to try the pork hock/country rib with this sauce for added flavor. Do you bake the pork hock/country ribs first or just put them in raw and let them cook in the sauce?? Thanks Some people use the meat raw. Like Beerball, I brown my meat (sometimes I even brown the ribs--- ) in the sauce pot. It has been a number of years since I made my own sauce. Last time I did, I used a bunch of fresh tomatoes from my brother in law's garden. I roasted them, which really concentrated the flavor and made for a great base. This thread has inspired me to try to make sauce again. Nice! The rare occasions I use fresh tomatoes are when they are fresh from my, or a friend's, garden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Rao's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 browning it does eliminate some of the grease you'd get if you threw it in raw, but you can always skim off the grease if you so choose Some people use the meat raw. Like Beerball, I brown my meat (sometimes I even brown the ribs--- ) in the sauce pot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Fresh tomatoes-- you need a lot for a pot of sauce. I feel like I used more than a dozen. 2 or 3 pounds? But my brother in law has bushels he just gives away in the summer from Their garden. By roasting, you suck out the moisture; then I just pulverized them (skin and all). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 browning it does eliminate some of the grease you'd get if you threw it in raw, but you can always skim off the grease if you so choose Browning also adds some flavor. Fresh tomatoes-- you need a lot for a pot of sauce. I feel like I used more than a dozen. 2 or 3 pounds? But my brother in law has bushels he just gives away in the summer from Their garden. By roasting, you suck out the moisture; then I just pulverized them (skin and all). I don't peel my tomatoes either. I know some do,. But when you a making a long cooking sauce, I think it's pretty unnecessary. And, of course, I'm lazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Rao's Rao's makes a damn fine jarred sauce. Actually I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I always keep a jar or two of sauce on hand, for "emergencies". For me, there are two categories of jarred sauce. Basic: These have minimal ingredients. Usually basic marinara. Victoria's is a good example. No sugar (I refuse to buy jarred sauce that has sugar added.) Typically just tomatoes, salt, pepper maybe a bit of garlic and/or basil. In a pinch you can use it to stretch a sauce if you need to make more in a hurry. Or, if you just are lazy, with a bit of doctoring, you can make a sauce in less time than starting from scratch. Another surprising choice for me in this category is Don Pepino Spaghetti Sauce. Comes in a can, like tomatoes. Can't get it down here, but it is very cheap at Wegman's or Topp's. Ready to serve (more or less): Again, I always doctor jarred sauce a bit. But there are some jarred sauces that are pretty much ready to go, and in fact are better than the sauce in most of the Italian restaurants in St Augustine. Rao's is easily one of the best in this category. I get my jarred sauce at the discount grocery store down the street. Instead of $8+ for a jar of Rao's I pay $3.25 or so. But I've had some very good sauces besides Rao's. Thing is, I can't remember their names. I'd know them if I saw them. But this place doesn't have a consistent inventory. If I recall correctly Nello's might have been the name of one. And there was an arrabbiata from Philly (some guy's first name) that was one of the best I have ever tasted. Damn if I can remember the name, though. La Famiglia DelGrosso Sunday Marinara is pretty good, too. Now, I must go hide in shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Fish sauce is great in a sauce. I have been refining a sauce made roasted in oven. This past week the sauce came our great and had capers, homemade red wine vinegar, pork, fish sauce, roasted carrots... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I make a mean marinara with nothing but canned tomatoes, onion, garlic, red wine and some herbs. It's fantastic, and when it cooks all day it drives you bananas smelling it. Pair it with hand-formed meatballs over a bed of linguini, food porn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Fish sauce is great in a sauce. I have been refining a sauce made roasted in oven. This past week the sauce came our great and had capers, homemade red wine vinegar, pork, fish sauce, roasted carrots... Capers are underappreciated. I love capers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Capers are underappreciated. I love capers.me too! Browned butter, capers, lemon over white fish is one of my favorites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDBillzFan Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 You can brown them in the same pot you're going to use for the sauce, that way you'll keep all of the flavors. I'd recommend the country ribs. The hocks are all "knuckly" w lots of stretchy parts and not much meat. My big sauce uses country ribs, in addition to sausage, small beef loin, etc. We do all the meat first...brown up the pan, then throw some onions and garlic with paste to collect all the meat bits and use that as the starter for the sauce (San Marzano tomatoes only). We do meatballs (beef/pork/veal), and add them later. but the other meat goes in early. Those ribs coming out near the end...so freaking good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Capers are underappreciated. I love capers. I love them too. I make a mean chicken picatta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 me too! Browned butter, capers, lemon over white fish is one of my favorites I put capers in my rice and in my empanadas. That flavor is just so unique. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Can't write it down. As Mozart said in Amadeus. "It's all here in my noodle. The rest is just scribbling and bibbling." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I put capers in my rice and in my empanadas. That flavor is just so unique. great idea. I love empanadas, and pierogies, and dumplings, Jamaican beef patties, and pasties......(aren't they all the same?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 (edited) great idea. I love empanadas, and pierogies, and dumplings, Jamaican beef patties, and pasties......(aren't they all the same?) I think pierogies have a pasta shell, don't they? I think empanadas and Jamaican beef patties are very similar, if not the same. Not sure what a pasty is. Edit **** Pasties look very similar, too. And looking up "pasties" will return images you don't want at work, by the way!! Edited January 13, 2015 by Gugny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maury Ballstein Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Capers and piccata dishes are terrible imo. Hate the lemon flavor on any main dish. Marsala on the other hand. Yes please. So best canned sauce is rao's ? I haven't found a canned sauce I like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Capers and piccata dishes are terrible imo. Hate the lemon flavor on any main dish. Marsala on the other hand. Yes please. So best canned sauce is rao's ? I haven't found a canned sauce I like. ... Veal piccatta is the stuff man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maury Ballstein Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Veal Marsala ftw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I am having the best pasta sauce/pasta/meatballs in the world tonight for dinner...cause its free! Just me and the boy tonight, the free one from Maggianos coming out of the freezer tonight, into the microwave to defrost, into the skillet with some fresh sauce and herbs...voila dinner in 10 minutes....and free! Like a sore XXXX.. ..... cant beat it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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