Italian Sauce Recipes

3 T olive oil

1 cup loosely packed, chopped Italian parsley

2 garlic cloves

1 medium onion

1 medium carrot

1 rib celery

1/2 lb. twice-ground, lean pork

1/2 lb. twice-ground, lean beef

1 cup dry red wine

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 small bay leaf

1 quart peeled, seeded, chopped plum tomatoes

1 T tomato paste

salt and pepper

3/4 cup heavy cream

Finely chop garlic, onion, carrot and celery. Combine with parsley and sauté over medium heat until soft, about 10 min. Add beef and pork, breaking up with a fork. Cook until the meat loses its pink color, do not brown. Add the herbs and wine, raise heat and cook until the wine is reduced, about 5-10 minutes. Add tomatoes and tomato paste, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf and correct seasoning. Add cream and simmer 10 min. before serving.

One skinned, disjointed, chicken, reserve neck, back and giblets for another use.

2 T olive oil

1 peeled medium onion stuck with 3 cloves

2 peeled garlic cloves

1 cup dry white wine

4 cups peeled, seeded, chopped tomatoes, reserve juice

1.5 tsp. dried basil

salt and black pepper to taste

Brown chicken in olive oil over medium heat. Brown onion and garlic cloves. Return chicken to pot, add wine and basil and reduce wine slightly, about 5 min. Add tomatoes and salt and pepper. Add juice if sauce is too thick. Simmer over low heat for 2 hours. Allow to cool. Remove onion and chicken from cooled sauce. Remove bones from chicken and return meat to sauce. Discard onion. Bring sauce to a simmer, taste and correct seasoning. Due to potential liability of having bones in the sauce it might be a good idea to try the following variation: Use an equivalent amount of skinless, boneless chicken. Add in about a cup of rich chicken stock. The rest is the same.

3 T good olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

3 minced garlic cloves

1/2 cup finely chopped carrot

4 cups drained, seeded, chopped plum tomatoes, reserve juices

1 1/2 tsp. dried basil or 2 T fresh basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 T butter

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

Salt and black pepper

Sauté onion, garlic, carrot in olive oil until they are soft, about 10 min. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Add some of the reserved tomato juice if the sauce seems too thick. Simmer uncovered over low heat for 25 min. Correct seasoning.

1/2 lb. twice-ground veal

1/2 lb. twice-ground pork

1 cup plain Italian breadcrumbs

2 eggs

1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

2 tsp. lemon zest

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 garlic clove minced

salt and pepper to taste