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Pasta Sauce


Dante

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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.

 

Clemenza??

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On this "country rib" trick, does the sauce become stringy? That would be my concern.

I made my normal sauce this weekend but browned the country ribs (2 of them) with the garlic, onions, olive oil and celery for awhile...then added the crushed tomatoes, homemade meatballs, etc. Let it simmer for a few hours with the whole country ribs in it. I didn't "pull" them apart. Just kept them in there for flavor. It was very good. (1/2 cup sugar, red wine and 1/2 cup parm cheese into sauce as well). Good call on the country ribs from the guys above....even Beerball.
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Your recipe description immediately reminded me of this scene:

 

 

Funny how little I remember that movie. I was probably 16 when I finally saw it, and never connected with it.

 

Now, if it was the prison sauce-making scene in Goodfellas...Sorvino carving the garlic with a razor blade...that I remember.

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Your recipe description immediately reminded me of this scene:

 

 

 

Sugar? Clemenza deserved to get whacked just for that. He already added some red wine, which has plenty of residual sugar. Need more? Add a bit more wine. Hell, a carrot would work if your tomatoes were so bitter it still needed sugar. (Mario Batali's jarred sauces contain a good bit of carrot. I'm not a big fan of that, but better than adding straight sugar.)

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  • 2 weeks later...

I made my normal sauce this weekend but browned the country ribs (2 of them) with the garlic, onions, olive oil and celery for awhile...then added the crushed tomatoes, homemade meatballs, etc. Let it simmer for a few hours with the whole country ribs in it. I didn't "pull" them apart. Just kept them in there for flavor. It was very good. (1/2 cup sugar, red wine and 1/2 cup parm cheese into sauce as well). Good call on the country ribs from the guys above....even Beerball.

We did sauce two ways this weekend for company. Meatballs in one pot and I tried the country ribs in the other. Indeed a second "good call" from me. Very good and much easier than making meatballs. My wife was telling me it was a lame idea but she ended up liking the ribs more than anyone.

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Sugar? Clemenza deserved to get whacked just for that. He already added some red wine, which has plenty of residual sugar. Need more? Add a bit more wine. Hell, a carrot would work if your tomatoes were so bitter it still needed sugar. (Mario Batali's jarred sauces contain a good bit of carrot. I'm not a big fan of that, but better than adding straight sugar.)

 

Tessio was always smarter.

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Pretty much everyone has the right idea here: must have the right mix of beef/pork (I typically brown my meatballs--which use both ground beef and lamb--and Italian sausage before adding them along with the grease), both San Marzano and Roma tomatoes, red wine, plenty of onion/garlic, etc.

 

The x-factor, IMO, is cinnamon. My mother always used ground cinnamon, but my grandmother used to steep a whole cinnamon stick in the sauce, which is my preferred method as well.

 

I also think that sweating the aromatics in an equal mixture of butter and olive oil is important for the base.

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Pretty much everyone has the right idea here: must have the right mix of beef/pork (I typically brown my meatballs--which use both ground beef and lamb--and Italian sausage before adding them along with the grease), both San Marzano and Roma tomatoes, red wine, plenty of onion/garlic, etc.

 

The x-factor, IMO, is cinnamon. My mother always used ground cinnamon, but my grandmother used to steep a whole cinnamon stick in the sauce, which is my preferred method as well.

 

I also think that sweating the aromatics in an equal mixture of butter and olive oil is important for the base.

Please explain this for Gugny

esq-solution-for-sweat-013013-1PJEqV-xlg

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Actually, I do have a couple questions for the Bandito. Please do explain sweating the aromatics. And do you peel your tomatoes?

 

I also have a question for Beerball. When you put your country ribs in the sauce, do you brown them first?

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Actually, I do have a couple questions for the Bandito. Please do explain sweating the aromatics. And do you peel your tomatoes?

 

I also have a question for Beerball. When you put your country ribs in the sauce, do you brown them first?

 

Sweating is a cooking method of slowly sautéing in butter or oil in a covered pan. Aromatics vegetable (carrots, celery, onions) and herbs that give he sauce it's flavor.

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