Back in the day I always made my own sauce. I used recipes. Sometimes even
weird ones. One involved just regular plain fresh tomatoes and milk. It
came from a very old cookbook. My Italian husband loved it! Most of my
sauces were cooked for several hours if all day. In those days there was
usually no meat. But my husband is a meat lover. So if I am cooking for
him I will often add meat.

Tonight I am making a quick sauce. I am using some organic canned tomato
sauce from Costco that really should have been used by April 1st. Shhh...
Don't tell my daughter! I saw a teensy bit of rust forming at the edges of
the cans but the product wasn't affected.

To help thicken the sauce I added some freeze dried chopped onions and red
peppers. I learned to do this on my own. This will also add extra veggies.
If I had any zucchini or summer squash, I would had finely shredded those in
just for the extra veggies. Powdered dried mushrooms also work well to
thicken. I like the kind they used to sell at Costco in a large jar. Not
sure they still do. But I didn't have any. Had I had some fresh mushrooms
I would have shredded those in as well. I figure any extra veggies I can
get in there without anyone noticing is good! I did shred a few baby
carrots in there. I got this tip from Mitch at the hot dog place that used
to be in Lynnwood, called Mitch's. I don't like hot dogs so he used to make
me spaghetti. The sauce tasted nicely sweet and he said this was because of
the added shredded carrot. I did get into an argument with an Italian lady
a few weeks ago about this. She said she can't stand it when people do
that. *shrug*

I also added a squirt of lemon juice to help make it sweeter. My mom always
did this as did my MIL who is Italian. I think it is something common to do
for people of their age. I don't think I've ever seen a recipe that calls
for it although I have looked it up on the Internet and people do it. I
also added a pinch of cinnamon. I read somewhere that is done in the North
of Italy. Seems to add sweetness as well. And I will add a splash of the
cooking water to help thicken it. I learned this from various TV chefs such
as Lidia Bastianich, Marianne Esposito and Nick Stellino.

The other seasonings I used tonight were mostly oregano, a bit of rosemary,
a bit of garlic, salt and pepper. My husband and daughter like it heavy on
the garlic but I do not. I can tolerate a bit of garlic but any more seems
to mess with my stomach.

So do you have any secret things you add to your sauce when you make it from
scratch? Ooh! There's my timer. Must go check my pasta. Am using whole
wheat stuff from Whole Foods. The twisted kind. Can't remember the name.

"Julie Bove" > wrote:
> Back in the day I always made my own sauce. I used recipes. Sometimes even
> weird ones. One involved just regular plain fresh tomatoes and milk. It
> came from a very old cookbook. My Italian husband loved it! Most of my
> sauces were cooked for several hours if all day. In those days there was
> usually no meat. But my husband is a meat lover. So if I am cooking for
> him I will often add meat.
>
> Tonight I am making a quick sauce. I am using some organic canned tomato
> sauce from Costco that really should have been used by April 1st. Shhh...
> Don't tell my daughter! I saw a teensy bit of rust forming at the edges of
> the cans but the product wasn't affected.
>
> To help thicken the sauce I added some freeze dried chopped onions and red
> peppers. I learned to do this on my own. This will also add extra veggies.
> If I had any zucchini or summer squash, I would had finely shredded those in
> just for the extra veggies. Powdered dried mushrooms also work well to
> thicken. I like the kind they used to sell at Costco in a large jar. Not
> sure they still do. But I didn't have any. Had I had some fresh mushrooms
> I would have shredded those in as well. I figure any extra veggies I can
> get in there without anyone noticing is good! I did shred a few baby
> carrots in there. I got this tip from Mitch at the hot dog place that used
> to be in Lynnwood, called Mitch's. I don't like hot dogs so he used to make
> me spaghetti. The sauce tasted nicely sweet and he said this was because of
> the added shredded carrot. I did get into an argument with an Italian lady
> a few weeks ago about this. She said she can't stand it when people do
> that. *shrug*
>
> I also added a squirt of lemon juice to help make it sweeter. My mom always
> did this as did my MIL who is Italian. I think it is something common to do
> for people of their age. I don't think I've ever seen a recipe that calls
> for it although I have looked it up on the Internet and people do it. I
> also added a pinch of cinnamon. I read somewhere that is done in the North
> of Italy. Seems to add sweetness as well. And I will add a splash of the
> cooking water to help thicken it. I learned this from various TV chefs such
> as Lidia Bastianich, Marianne Esposito and Nick Stellino.
>
> The other seasonings I used tonight were mostly oregano, a bit of rosemary,
> a bit of garlic, salt and pepper. My husband and daughter like it heavy on
> the garlic but I do not. I can tolerate a bit of garlic but any more seems
> to mess with my stomach.
>
> So do you have any secret things you add to your sauce when you make it from
> scratch? Ooh! There's my timer. Must go check my pasta. Am using whole
> wheat stuff from Whole Foods. The twisted kind. Can't remember the name.

Meat sauce is best cooked long, but carrots might take a while. Regular
sauce does not take long. My sister whipped the best tomato sauce I have
eaten. I like it spicy. I hardly get mushroom sauce, but I love it. Perhaps
some egg plant also.

There was a show I watched where 4 Italian ladies were describing their own
sauce. Mostly basic ingredients. They said no fillers, but their favorite
jar sauce in a tv taste test was prego. I'm looking at my all natural
tomato Basel, but no fillers on this one. I think corn starch was commonly
used.

Greg

Julie Bove wrote:
> Back in the day I always made my own sauce. I used recipes. Sometimes
> even weird ones. One involved just regular plain fresh
> tomatoes and milk. It came from a very old cookbook. My Italian
> husband loved it! Most of my sauces were cooked for several hours if
> all day. In those days there was usually no meat. But my husband is
> a meat lover. So if I am cooking for him I will often add meat.
>
> Tonight I am making a quick sauce. I am using some organic canned
> tomato sauce from Costco that really should have been used by April
> 1st. Shhh... Don't tell my daughter! I saw a teensy bit of rust
> forming at the edges of the cans but the product wasn't affected.
>
> To help thicken the sauce I added some freeze dried chopped onions
> and red peppers. I learned to do this on my own. This will also add
> extra veggies. If I had any zucchini or summer squash, I would had
> finely shredded those in just for the extra veggies. Powdered dried
> mushrooms also work well to thicken. I like the kind they used to
> sell at Costco in a large jar. Not sure they still do. But I didn't
> have any. Had I had some fresh mushrooms I would have shredded those
> in as well. I figure any extra veggies I can get in there without
> anyone noticing is good! I did shred a few baby carrots in there. I
> got this tip from Mitch at the hot dog place that used to be in
> Lynnwood, called Mitch's. I don't like hot dogs so he used to make
> me spaghetti. The sauce tasted nicely sweet and he said this was
> because of the added shredded carrot. I did get into an argument
> with an Italian lady a few weeks ago about this. She said she can't
> stand it when people do that. *shrug*
> I also added a squirt of lemon juice to help make it sweeter. My mom
> always did this as did my MIL who is Italian. I think it is
> something common to do for people of their age. I don't think I've
> ever seen a recipe that calls for it although I have looked it up on
> the Internet and people do it. I also added a pinch of cinnamon. I
> read somewhere that is done in the North of Italy. Seems to add
> sweetness as well. And I will add a splash of the cooking water to
> help thicken it. I learned this from various TV chefs such as Lidia
> Bastianich, Marianne Esposito and Nick Stellino.
> The other seasonings I used tonight were mostly oregano, a bit of
> rosemary, a bit of garlic, salt and pepper. My husband and daughter
> like it heavy on the garlic but I do not. I can tolerate a bit of
> garlic but any more seems to mess with my stomach.
>
> So do you have any secret things you add to your sauce when you make
> it from scratch? Ooh! There's my timer. Must go check my pasta. Am
> using whole wheat stuff from Whole Foods. The twisted kind. Can't
> remember the name.

Maybe instead of "sauce" recipes look for "sugo" recipes.


W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Mon, 9 Apr 2012 19:10:57 -0700, Julie Bove wrote:
>
>> So do you have any secret things you add to your sauce when you make
>> it from scratch?
>
> EVOO. Somebody here posted a recipe about 15-20 years ago that
> included what I thought was an ungodly amount of extra virgin olive
> oil. The shole idea of EVOO in pasta sauce was foreign to me. It's
> probably the first piece of good advice I ever used here. You can
> also add butter (not margarine, please!).

Oh crud! I did put that in there too! And I forgot about it until you
mentioned it.
>
> BTW: I read the first sentence of the first paragraphs you posted,
> then decided just to skip down to the bottom where there would
> probably be a question. If I read all that stuff in between then I'd
> feel too compelled to comment on some other oddity(s) of yours and
> never answer the question. Just sayin.

Okay.

On Apr 9, 10:54*pm, Sqwertz > wrote:


> EVOO. Somebody here posted a recipe about 15-20 years ago that
> included what I thought was an ungodly amount of extra virgin olive
> oil. * The shole idea of EVOO in pasta sauce was foreign to me. It's
> probably the first piece of good advice I ever used here. *You can
> also add butter (not margarine, please!).


I was raised on olive oil, but I don't know everything. I
always assumed EVOO is used for salads and fresh things, not for
cooking. I wonder how many people can tell whether regular olive oil
or extra virgin was used after a dish has been cooked a while. Maybe
I could tell, I'm not sure, I never tried. Extra virgin drizzled over
things, even raw meat mixed with cracked wheat (kibbee), or even just-
cooked things, I could tell the difference right away. Not sure about
a sauce though. I don't know, never tested it.

I think some people just like typing EEVO, makes them feel like
they're a member of a special cult or something,
TJ

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 9 Apr 2012 19:10:57 -0700, Julie Bove wrote:
>
>> So do you have any secret things you add to your sauce when you make it
>> from
>> scratch?
>
> EVOO. Somebody here posted a recipe about 15-20 years ago that
> included what I thought was an ungodly amount of extra virgin olive
> oil. The shole idea of EVOO in pasta sauce was foreign to me. It's
> probably the first piece of good advice I ever used here. You can
> also add butter (not margarine, please!).
>
> BTW: I read the first sentence of the first paragraphs you posted,
> then decided just to skip down to the bottom where there would
> probably be a question. If I read all that stuff in between then I'd
> feel too compelled to comment on some other oddity(s) of yours and
> never answer the question. Just sayin.
>
> -sw


funny she was using the "twisted kind" of pasta.

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 9 Apr 2012 20:13:32 -0700 (PDT), Tommy Joe wrote:
>
>> I think some people just like typing EEVO, makes them feel like
>> they're a member of a special cult or something,
>
> At least WE know how to spell it.
>
> -sw

Crikey! I just now noticed the extra E. I kept looking at that and thought
it looked weird. Should be EVOO!

On Apr 9, 7:10*pm, "Julie Bove" > wrote:
> Back in the day I always made my own sauce. *I used recipes. *Sometimes even
> weird ones. *One involved just regular plain fresh tomatoes and milk. *It
> came from a very old cookbook. *My Italian husband loved it! *Most of my
> sauces were cooked for several hours if all day. *In those days there was
> usually no meat. *But my husband is a meat lover. *So if I am cooking for
> him I will often add meat.
>
> Tonight I am making a quick sauce. *I am using some organic canned tomato
> sauce from Costco that really should have been used by April 1st. *Shhh....
> Don't tell my daughter! *I saw a teensy bit of rust forming at the edges of
> the cans but the product wasn't affected.
>
> To help thicken the sauce I added some freeze dried chopped onions and red
> peppers. *I learned to do this on my own. *This will also add extra veggies.
> If I had any zucchini or summer squash, I would had finely shredded those in
> just for the extra veggies. *Powdered dried mushrooms also work well to
> thicken. *I like the kind they used to sell at Costco in a large jar. *Not
> sure they still do. *But I didn't have any. *Had I had some fresh mushrooms
> I would have shredded those in as well. *I figure any extra veggies I can
> get in there without anyone noticing is good! *I did shred a few baby
> carrots in there. *I got this tip from Mitch at the hot dog place that used
> to be in Lynnwood, called Mitch's. *I don't like hot dogs so he used to make
> me spaghetti. *The sauce tasted nicely sweet and he said this was because of
> the added shredded carrot. *I did get into an argument with an Italian lady
> a few weeks ago about this. *She said she can't stand it when people do
> that. **shrug*
>
> I also added a squirt of lemon juice to help make it sweeter. *My mom always
> did this as did my MIL who is Italian. *I think it is something common to do
> for people of their age. *I don't think I've ever seen a recipe that calls
> for it although I have looked it up on the Internet and people do it. *I
> also added a pinch of cinnamon. *I read somewhere that is done in the North
> of Italy. *Seems to add sweetness as well. *And I will add a splash of the
> cooking water to help thicken it. *I learned this from various TV chefs such
> as Lidia Bastianich, Marianne Esposito and Nick Stellino.
>
> The other seasonings I used tonight were mostly oregano, a bit of rosemary,
> a bit of garlic, salt and pepper. *My husband and daughter like it heavy on
> the garlic but I do not. *I can tolerate a bit of garlic but any more seems
> to mess with my stomach.
>
> So do you have any secret things you add to your sauce when you make it from
> scratch? *Ooh! *There's my timer. *Must go check my pasta. *Am using whole
> wheat stuff from Whole Foods. *The twisted kind. *Can't remember the name.

Parsley, and lots of it. I usually add a whole bunch of Italian
parsley with stems tied with kitchen string- fish them out when done
cooking.

merryb wrote:
> On Apr 9, 7:10 pm, "Julie Bove" > wrote:
>> Back in the day I always made my own sauce. I used recipes.
>> Sometimes even weird ones. One involved just regular plain fresh
>> tomatoes and milk. It came from a very old cookbook. My Italian
>> husband loved it! Most of my sauces were cooked for several hours if
>> all day. In those days there was usually no meat. But my husband is
>> a meat lover. So if I am cooking for
>> him I will often add meat.
>>
>> Tonight I am making a quick sauce. I am using some organic canned
>> tomato sauce from Costco that really should have been used by April
>> 1st. Shhh... Don't tell my daughter! I saw a teensy bit of rust
>> forming at the edges of the cans but the product wasn't affected.
>>
>> To help thicken the sauce I added some freeze dried chopped onions
>> and red peppers. I learned to do this on my own. This will also add
>> extra veggies. If I had any zucchini or summer squash, I would had
>> finely shredded those in just for the extra veggies. Powdered dried
>> mushrooms also work well to thicken. I like the kind they used to
>> sell at Costco in a large jar. Not sure they still do. But I didn't
>> have any. Had I had some fresh mushrooms
>> I would have shredded those in as well. I figure any extra veggies I
>> can get in there without anyone noticing is good! I did shred a few
>> baby carrots in there. I got this tip from Mitch at the hot dog
>> place that used to be in Lynnwood, called Mitch's. I don't like hot
>> dogs so he used to make me spaghetti. The sauce tasted nicely sweet
>> and he said this was because of the added shredded carrot. I did get
>> into an argument with an Italian lady a few weeks ago about this.
>> She said she can't stand it when people do that. *shrug*
>>
>> I also added a squirt of lemon juice to help make it sweeter. My mom
>> always did this as did my MIL who is Italian. I think it is
>> something common to do for people of their age. I don't think I've
>> ever seen a recipe that calls for it although I have looked it up on
>> the Internet and people do it. I also added a pinch of cinnamon. I
>> read somewhere that is done in the North of Italy. Seems to add
>> sweetness as well. And I will add a splash of the cooking water to
>> help thicken it. I learned this from various TV chefs such as Lidia
>> Bastianich, Marianne Esposito and Nick Stellino.
>>
>> The other seasonings I used tonight were mostly oregano, a bit of
>> rosemary, a bit of garlic, salt and pepper. My husband and daughter
>> like it heavy on the garlic but I do not. I can tolerate a bit of
>> garlic but any more seems to mess with my stomach.
>>
>> So do you have any secret things you add to your sauce when you make
>> it from scratch? Ooh! There's my timer. Must go check my pasta. Am
>> using whole wheat stuff from Whole Foods. The twisted kind. Can't
>> remember the name.
>
> Parsley, and lots of it. I usually add a whole bunch of Italian
> parsley with stems tied with kitchen string- fish them out when done
> cooking.

Oh snap! I forgot the parsley! How could I do that? Anyway the end result
was very good.

On Apr 9, 11:49*pm, Sqwertz > wrote:



> At least WE know how to spell it.


Got me. But to me EEVO sounds better than EVOO. I'm a sound
guy. You're more into sight. I don't harp on people's misspellings
or other grammar mistakes. If I did I'm sure I would find a few
mistakes in your posts. I'm not into such games. But thanks for
making the correction - I just know you did it to be helpful - not to
be a wise guy.

Thanks for helping me with my speling,
TJ

I always start with Prego chunky spaghetti sauce for the base, and add a
pkg. of spaghetti seasoning to it, Worcestershire sauce, lots of wine
(no particular kind, just what I have on hand, but not a sweet wine) a
tbsp. sugar, grated carrot, diced green pepper and onion, lots of minced
fresh garlic, sliced fresh mushrooms, fennel seed, basil, bay leaves,
and some season salt & pepper, but I go light on the salt. I used a lot
of lean ground beef (browned) rather than make meatballs, and I also add
a couple kinds of sliced sausage, such as beef Polish sausage. and I
bring that to a boil to cook out some of the fat; drain. I let the sauce
simmer a long time, as the longer the better.

I never add any kind of oil, or butter to the sauce, but do toss
somechopped parsley and butter to the cooked spaghetti (I like the thin
and I break it in half before cooking).

Judy

"Judy Haffner" > wrote in message
...
>
> I always start with Prego chunky spaghetti sauce for the base, and add a
> pkg. of spaghetti seasoning to it, Worcestershire sauce, lots of wine
> (no particular kind, just what I have on hand, but not a sweet wine) a
> tbsp. sugar, grated carrot, diced green pepper and onion, lots of minced
> fresh garlic, sliced fresh mushrooms, fennel seed, basil, bay leaves,
> and some season salt & pepper, but I go light on the salt. I used a lot
> of lean ground beef (browned) rather than make meatballs, and I also add
> a couple kinds of sliced sausage, such as beef Polish sausage. and I
> bring that to a boil to cook out some of the fat; drain. I let the sauce
> simmer a long time, as the longer the better.
>
> I never add any kind of oil, or butter to the sauce, but do toss
> somechopped parsley and butter to the cooked spaghetti (I like the thin
> and I break it in half before cooking).

Thanks!

On 10 Apr, 04:10, "Julie Bove" > wrote:
> Back in the day I always made my own sauce. *I used recipes. *Sometimes even
> weird ones. *One involved just regular plain fresh tomatoes and milk. *It
> came from a very old cookbook. *My Italian husband loved it! *Most of my
> sauces were cooked for several hours if all day. *In those days there was
> usually no meat. *But my husband is a meat lover. *So if I am cooking for
> him I will often add meat.
>
> Tonight I am making a quick sauce. *I am using some organic canned tomato
> sauce from Costco that really should have been used by April 1st. *Shhh....
> Don't tell my daughter! *I saw a teensy bit of rust forming at the edges of
> the cans but the product wasn't affected.
>
> To help thicken the sauce I added some freeze dried chopped onions and red
> peppers. *I learned to do this on my own. *This will also add extra veggies.
> If I had any zucchini or summer squash, I would had finely shredded those in
> just for the extra veggies. *Powdered dried mushrooms also work well to
> thicken. *I like the kind they used to sell at Costco in a large jar. *Not
> sure they still do. *But I didn't have any. *Had I had some fresh mushrooms
> I would have shredded those in as well. *I figure any extra veggies I can
> get in there without anyone noticing is good! *I did shred a few baby
> carrots in there. *I got this tip from Mitch at the hot dog place that used
> to be in Lynnwood, called Mitch's. *I don't like hot dogs so he used to make
> me spaghetti. *The sauce tasted nicely sweet and he said this was because of
> the added shredded carrot. *I did get into an argument with an Italian lady
> a few weeks ago about this. *She said she can't stand it when people do
> that. **shrug*
>
> I also added a squirt of lemon juice to help make it sweeter. *My mom always
> did this as did my MIL who is Italian. *I think it is something common to do
> for people of their age. *I don't think I've ever seen a recipe that calls
> for it although I have looked it up on the Internet and people do it. *I
> also added a pinch of cinnamon. *I read somewhere that is done in the North
> of Italy. *Seems to add sweetness as well. *And I will add a splash of the
> cooking water to help thicken it. *I learned this from various TV chefs such
> as Lidia Bastianich, Marianne Esposito and Nick Stellino.
>
> The other seasonings I used tonight were mostly oregano, a bit of rosemary,
> a bit of garlic, salt and pepper. *My husband and daughter like it heavy on
> the garlic but I do not. *I can tolerate a bit of garlic but any more seems
> to mess with my stomach.
>
> So do you have any secret things you add to your sauce when you make it from
> scratch? *Ooh! *There's my timer. *Must go check my pasta. *Am using whole
> wheat stuff from Whole Foods. *The twisted kind. *Can't remember the name.

Cinnamon like nothern italians do???? It's new for me, like lemon
inside a tomato sauce!!!!! Well, I think you have made a vegetarian
ragù!
My secret for tomato sauce is a little bit of sugar. My ancient aunt
taught me! It helps to eliminate acidule taste of tomatoes, some times
she used also "bicarbonato di soda" for the same purpose. Then, when I
make only a simple tomato sauce, I put alwais and only oregano. Always
hot chili pepper and fresh ground black pepper. I usually cook for 30
minutes, but sometimes you find some tomato sauces which are too
dense, so I have to add some water to allow prolongation of cooking
time.
cheers
Pandora

On 10 Apr, 04:54, Sqwertz > wrote:
> On Mon, 9 Apr 2012 19:10:57 -0700, Julie Bove wrote:
> > So do you have any secret things you add to your sauce when you make it from
> > scratch?
>
> EVOO. Somebody here posted a recipe about 15-20 years ago that
> included what I thought was an ungodly amount of extra virgin olive
> oil. * The shole idea of EVOO in pasta sauce was foreign to me. It's
> probably the first piece of good advice I ever used here. *You can
> also add butter (not margarine, please!).
>
> BTW: I read the first sentence of the first paragraphs you posted,
> then decided just to skip down to the bottom where there would
> probably be a question. *If I read all that stuff in between then I'd
> feel too compelled to comment on some other oddity(s) of yours and
> never answer the question. *Just sayin.
>
> -sw

I think it's obvious to use EVOO on a good tomato sauce. I use a lot.
cheers
Pandora

Another spel flayme from RFC's resident Queen of Typos.

> > I think some people just like typing EEVO, makes them feel like
> > they're a member of a special cult or something,
>
> At least WE know how to spell it.

<snicker>

Do you have your own private standards for what constitutes hypocrisy,
sqwishy?

On Apr 9, 10:49*pm, Sqwertz > wrote:
> On Mon, 9 Apr 2012 20:13:32 -0700 (PDT), Tommy Joe wrote:
> > I think some people just like typing EEVO, makes them feel like
> > they're a member of a special cult or something,
>
> At least WE know how to spell it.

Tommy Joe belongs to the cult of Cletus Spuckler.
>
> -sw

--Bryan

On Mon, 9 Apr 2012 19:10:57 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

>Back in the day I always made my own sauce. I used recipes. Sometimes even
>weird ones. snip
And I will add a splash of the
>cooking water to help thicken it. I learned this from various TV chefs such
>as Lidia Bastianich, Marianne Esposito and Nick Stellino.
>
snip
The ladle of cooking water is used to 'thin' the sauce, not thicken
it. Yes. I have seen all those chefs discuss this.
Janet US

Pandora wrote:
> On 10 Apr, 04:10, "Julie Bove" > wrote:
>> Back in the day I always made my own sauce. I used recipes.
>> Sometimes even weird ones. One involved just regular plain fresh
>> tomatoes and milk. It came from a very old cookbook. My Italian
>> husband loved it! Most of my sauces were cooked for several hours if
>> all day. In those days there was usually no meat. But my husband is
>> a meat lover. So if I am cooking for
>> him I will often add meat.
>>
>> Tonight I am making a quick sauce. I am using some organic canned
>> tomato sauce from Costco that really should have been used by April
>> 1st. Shhh... Don't tell my daughter! I saw a teensy bit of rust
>> forming at the edges of the cans but the product wasn't affected.
>>
>> To help thicken the sauce I added some freeze dried chopped onions
>> and red peppers. I learned to do this on my own. This will also add
>> extra veggies. If I had any zucchini or summer squash, I would had
>> finely shredded those in just for the extra veggies. Powdered dried
>> mushrooms also work well to thicken. I like the kind they used to
>> sell at Costco in a large jar. Not sure they still do. But I didn't
>> have any. Had I had some fresh mushrooms
>> I would have shredded those in as well. I figure any extra veggies I
>> can get in there without anyone noticing is good! I did shred a few
>> baby carrots in there. I got this tip from Mitch at the hot dog
>> place that used to be in Lynnwood, called Mitch's. I don't like hot
>> dogs so he used to make me spaghetti. The sauce tasted nicely sweet
>> and he said this was because of the added shredded carrot. I did get
>> into an argument with an Italian lady a few weeks ago about this.
>> She said she can't stand it when people do that. *shrug*
>>
>> I also added a squirt of lemon juice to help make it sweeter. My mom
>> always did this as did my MIL who is Italian. I think it is
>> something common to do for people of their age. I don't think I've
>> ever seen a recipe that calls for it although I have looked it up on
>> the Internet and people do it. I also added a pinch of cinnamon. I
>> read somewhere that is done in the North of Italy. Seems to add
>> sweetness as well. And I will add a splash of the cooking water to
>> help thicken it. I learned this from various TV chefs such as Lidia
>> Bastianich, Marianne Esposito and Nick Stellino.
>>
>> The other seasonings I used tonight were mostly oregano, a bit of
>> rosemary, a bit of garlic, salt and pepper. My husband and daughter
>> like it heavy on the garlic but I do not. I can tolerate a bit of
>> garlic but any more seems to mess with my stomach.
>>
>> So do you have any secret things you add to your sauce when you make
>> it from scratch? Ooh! There's my timer. Must go check my pasta. Am
>> using whole wheat stuff from Whole Foods. The twisted kind. Can't
>> remember the name.
>
> Cinnamon like nothern italians do???? It's new for me, like lemon
> inside a tomato sauce!!!!! Well, I think you have made a vegetarian
> ragù!
> My secret for tomato sauce is a little bit of sugar. My ancient aunt
> taught me! It helps to eliminate acidule taste of tomatoes, some times
> she used also "bicarbonato di soda" for the same purpose. Then, when I
> make only a simple tomato sauce, I put alwais and only oregano. Always
> hot chili pepper and fresh ground black pepper. I usually cook for 30
> minutes, but sometimes you find some tomato sauces which are too
> dense, so I have to add some water to allow prolongation of cooking
> time.
> cheers
> Pandora

Thanks!

Janet Bostwick wrote:
> On Mon, 9 Apr 2012 19:10:57 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>> Back in the day I always made my own sauce. I used recipes.
>> Sometimes even weird ones. snip
> And I will add a splash of the
>> cooking water to help thicken it. I learned this from various TV
>> chefs such as Lidia Bastianich, Marianne Esposito and Nick Stellino.
>>
> snip
> The ladle of cooking water is used to 'thin' the sauce, not thicken
> it. Yes. I have seen all those chefs discuss this.
> Janet US

The last chef I saw said it thickens the sauce because of the starch in it.

On 4/10/12 3:31 AM, Judy Haffner wrote:
(I like the thin
> and I break it in half before cooking).
>
> Judy
>

What a PITA to eat though when people break it up. Leave it long so one
can twirl it properly instead of having all those short pieces floppin'
about to make a mess.

On 2012-04-10, Goomba > wrote:

> What a PITA to eat though when people break it up. Leave it long so one
> can twirl it properly instead of having all those short pieces floppin'
> about to make a mess.

OTOH, what a PIA to hafta twirl a fork inna spoon or against the
botton of the plate so one can finally wrap/manage an oversized lump
of pasta well enough to stuff it into one's overstretched maw, yet
still have a few hanging strands dripping sauce all over the place.

IOW, to each, his own.

When I eat alone, I break mine.

nb

--
vi --the heart of evil!

On Apr 10, 5:24*am, Pandora > wrote:
> On 10 Apr, 04:10, "Julie Bove" > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > Back in the day I always made my own sauce. *I used recipes. *Sometimes even
> > weird ones. *One involved just regular plain fresh tomatoes and milk. *It
> > came from a very old cookbook. *My Italian husband loved it! *Most of my
> > sauces were cooked for several hours if all day. *In those days there was
> > usually no meat. *But my husband is a meat lover. *So if I am cooking for
> > him I will often add meat.
>
> > Tonight I am making a quick sauce. *I am using some organic canned tomato
> > sauce from Costco that really should have been used by April 1st. *Shhh...
> > Don't tell my daughter! *I saw a teensy bit of rust forming at the edges of
> > the cans but the product wasn't affected.
>
> > To help thicken the sauce I added some freeze dried chopped onions and red
> > peppers. *I learned to do this on my own. *This will also add extra veggies.
> > If I had any zucchini or summer squash, I would had finely shredded those in
> > just for the extra veggies. *Powdered dried mushrooms also work well to
> > thicken. *I like the kind they used to sell at Costco in a large jar. *Not
> > sure they still do. *But I didn't have any. *Had I had some fresh mushrooms
> > I would have shredded those in as well. *I figure any extra veggies I can
> > get in there without anyone noticing is good! *I did shred a few baby
> > carrots in there. *I got this tip from Mitch at the hot dog place that used
> > to be in Lynnwood, called Mitch's. *I don't like hot dogs so he used to make
> > me spaghetti. *The sauce tasted nicely sweet and he said this was because of
> > the added shredded carrot. *I did get into an argument with an Italian lady
> > a few weeks ago about this. *She said she can't stand it when people do
> > that. **shrug*
>
> > I also added a squirt of lemon juice to help make it sweeter. *My mom always
> > did this as did my MIL who is Italian. *I think it is something common to do
> > for people of their age. *I don't think I've ever seen a recipe that calls
> > for it although I have looked it up on the Internet and people do it. *I
> > also added a pinch of cinnamon. *I read somewhere that is done in the North
> > of Italy. *Seems to add sweetness as well. *And I will add a splash of the
> > cooking water to help thicken it. *I learned this from various TV chefs such
> > as Lidia Bastianich, Marianne Esposito and Nick Stellino.
>
> > The other seasonings I used tonight were mostly oregano, a bit of rosemary,
> > a bit of garlic, salt and pepper. *My husband and daughter like it heavy on
> > the garlic but I do not. *I can tolerate a bit of garlic but any more seems
> > to mess with my stomach.
>
> > So do you have any secret things you add to your sauce when you make it from
> > scratch? *Ooh! *There's my timer. *Must go check my pasta. *Am using whole
> > wheat stuff from Whole Foods. *The twisted kind. *Can't remember the name.
>
> Cinnamon like nothern italians do???? It's new for me, like lemon
> inside a tomato sauce!!!!! Well, I think you have made a vegetarian
> ragù!
> My secret for tomato sauce is a little bit of sugar. My ancient aunt
> taught me! It helps to eliminate acidule taste of tomatoes, some times
> she used also "bicarbonato di soda" for the same purpose. Then, when I
> make only a simple tomato sauce, I put alwais and only oregano. Always
> hot chili pepper and fresh ground black pepper. I usually cook for 30
> minutes, but sometimes you find some tomato sauces which are too
> dense, so I have to add some water to allow prolongation of cooking
> time.
> cheers
> Pandora

Alwais: not trying to be funny, but is this a typo or some secret
ingregient?

I like only a little oregano in my sauce, but plenty of basil. I
think the secret to a great sauce is to have meat cooked in it - I
love country spare ribs in mine. Browned first, of course. They get
fall-off-the-bone tender.

On 10 Apr 2012 15:22:26 GMT, notbob > wrote:

>On 2012-04-10, Goomba > wrote:
>
>> What a PITA to eat though when people break it up. Leave it long so one
>> can twirl it properly instead of having all those short pieces floppin'
>> about to make a mess.
>
>OTOH, what a PIA to hafta twirl a fork inna spoon or against the
>botton of the plate so one can finally wrap/manage an oversized lump
>of pasta well enough to stuff it into one's overstretched maw, yet
>still have a few hanging strands dripping sauce all over the place.
>
>IOW, to each, his own.
>
>When I eat alone, I break mine.

I break it in half too. It's much neater to eat.

Lou

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
> Back in the day I always made my own sauce.

Wine!

In article >, says...
>
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Back in the day I always made my own sauce.
>
> Wine!

Take your pick:


Her sensitivities are allergic to wine.

Her allergies are sensitive to wine.

Her wines are allergic to sensitivity.

Janet.

Goomba wrote:

>What a PITA to eat though when people
> break it up. Leave it long so one can
> twirl it properly instead of having all
> those short pieces floppin' about to
> make a mess.

I don't break the spaghetti up in little pieces, but break the long
strands in HALF, which is much easier to "twirl" around a fork and eat.
In a restaurant, I always cut the long pieces with my knife before
eating it, as is less of a hassle, and not as messy to eat in public.

Judy

On Tue, 10 Apr 2012 06:56:53 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

>Janet Bostwick wrote:
>> On Mon, 9 Apr 2012 19:10:57 -0700, "Julie Bove"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> Back in the day I always made my own sauce. I used recipes.
>>> Sometimes even weird ones. snip
>> And I will add a splash of the
>>> cooking water to help thicken it. I learned this from various TV
>>> chefs such as Lidia Bastianich, Marianne Esposito and Nick Stellino.
>>>
>> snip
>> The ladle of cooking water is used to 'thin' the sauce, not thicken
>> it. Yes. I have seen all those chefs discuss this.
>> Janet US
>
>The last chef I saw said it thickens the sauce because of the starch in it.
>
The way I have heard it is to keep aside a ladle of the hot water to
thin the sauce if necessary. Giada uses it when she has pasta and
sauce combined in a bowl or pan to thin the sauce a little and make it
easier to combine evenly immediately before service.. The ones I have
seen discuss it (Ann Burrell, Giada, Lidia, Mario) were finishing the
cooking of the pasta in the sauce in the sauce pan on the stove. Sauce
in this meaning was any dressing for the pasta --cheese, cream or red.
I've never seen any of them put it into the sauce to help make the
sauce.
Janet US

Julie Bove wrote:

> > And I will add a splash of the
> >> cooking water to help thicken it. I learned this from various TV
> >> chefs such as Lidia Bastianich, Marianne Esposito and Nick Stellino.

> > The ladle of cooking water is used to 'thin' the sauce, not thicken
> > it. Yes. I have seen all those chefs discuss this.
>
> The last chef I saw said it thickens the sauce because of the starch in it.

Are you putting us on?

sqwishy is still blind to his own magnifistink.

> > If I did I'm sure I would find a few
> > mistakes in your posts.

> I'm have no doubt
> But when you call a group people

Two sentences = two totems of sqwishpocrisy.

notbob wrote:
>Goomba wrote:
>
>> What a PITA to eat though when people break it up. Leave it long so one
>> can twirl it properly instead of having all those short pieces floppin'
>> about to make a mess.

Is Goomba talking eating pasta or what?

>OTOH, what a PIA to hafta twirl a fork inna spoon or against the
>botton of the plate so one can finally wrap/manage an oversized lump
>of pasta well enough to stuff it into one's overstretched maw, yet
>still have a few hanging strands dripping sauce all over the place.
>
>When I eat alone, I break mine.

HA! You really are a wuss. When I eat alone my goal is to cram as
much pasta into my mouth as I can with each forkful... I eat linguinni
full speed ahead, torpedos be damned... notbob would be ascared of
anything larger than an A cup. LOL

On Mon, 9 Apr 2012 23:31:48 -0800, (Judy Haffner)
wrote:

>
> I always start with Prego chunky spaghetti sauce for the base, and add a
> pkg. of spaghetti seasoning to it, Worcestershire sauce, lots of wine
> (no particular kind, just what I have on hand, but not a sweet wine) a
> tbsp. sugar, grated carrot, diced green pepper and onion, lots of minced
> fresh garlic, sliced fresh mushrooms, fennel seed, basil, bay leaves,
> and some season salt & pepper, but I go light on the salt. I used a lot
> of lean ground beef (browned) rather than make meatballs, and I also add
> a couple kinds of sliced sausage, such as beef Polish sausage. and I
> bring that to a boil to cook out some of the fat; drain. I let the sauce
> simmer a long time, as the longer the better.
>
> I never add any kind of oil, or butter to the sauce, but do toss
> somechopped parsley and butter to the cooked spaghetti (I like the thin
> and I break it in half before cooking).
>
I don't use any jarred sauce (tried them when they first came out and
decided they cost too much money for something not even as good as
what comes out of a can). Then I recently discovered Trader Joe's
"marinara" sauce and it rocked my world. I couldn't believe something
so good could come out of a can! Now I'm wondering if those jarred
sauces have improved too?

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

sf > wrote:
> On Mon, 9 Apr 2012 23:31:48 -0800, (Judy Haffner)
> wrote:
>
>>
>> I always start with Prego chunky spaghetti sauce for the base, and add a
>> pkg. of spaghetti seasoning to it, Worcestershire sauce, lots of wine
>> (no particular kind, just what I have on hand, but not a sweet wine) a
>> tbsp. sugar, grated carrot, diced green pepper and onion, lots of minced
>> fresh garlic, sliced fresh mushrooms, fennel seed, basil, bay leaves,
>> and some season salt & pepper, but I go light on the salt. I used a lot
>> of lean ground beef (browned) rather than make meatballs, and I also add
>> a couple kinds of sliced sausage, such as beef Polish sausage. and I
>> bring that to a boil to cook out some of the fat; drain. I let the sauce
>> simmer a long time, as the longer the better.
>>
>> I never add any kind of oil, or butter to the sauce, but do toss
>> somechopped parsley and butter to the cooked spaghetti (I like the thin
>> and I break it in half before cooking).
>>
> I don't use any jarred sauce (tried them when they first came out and
> decided they cost too much money for something not even as good as
> what comes out of a can). Then I recently discovered Trader Joe's
> "marinara" sauce and it rocked my world. I couldn't believe something
> so good could come out of a can! Now I'm wondering if those jarred
> sauces have improved too?

Sauce would have to be pretty bad before I didn't eat it. I can usually
find jars between $1-2. I don't like meat in the sauce, would rather have
meatballs on the side. Thick, long spaghetti, No trouble eating it. I grew
up eating meat sauce, but meat takes away the acidic sauce I prefer. In
that period a local restaurant made fabulous sauce we used to take home. My
mother would often add some kind of meat, which I think was pork, to that
sauce.it was not ground meat, but a chunk or two.

Greg

On Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:50:12 +0000 (UTC), gregz >
wrote:

> My
> mother would often add some kind of meat, which I think was pork, to that
> sauce.it was not ground meat, but a chunk or two.

I've read that sauce is made with pork by "the natives". They take it
out and serve them as separate courses (sauce with pasta, of course).
I need to try that sometime, but I never remember to do it when I
should.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

In a desperate attempt to save face, the sqwishster reveals himself to
be allergic to four-syllable words.

> > sqwishy is still blind to his own magnifistink.
> >
> >>> If I did I'm sure I would find a few
> >>> mistakes in your posts.
> >
> >> I'm have no doubt
> >> But when you call a group people
> >
> > Two sentences = two totems of sqwishpocrisy.
>
> Whoosh!
>
> In your haste to hump my leg (again) and snip out of context you were
> oblivious to the fact those were gratuitous errors.

For your next demonstration of your innate superiority, you can teach
us how to distort the meaning of "gratuitous" so that it makes you
sound smart.

You know that "POP!" sound you hear every so often? It's your ego
getting burst by laughter.

gregz wrote:
>
>Sauce would have to be pretty bad before I didn't eat it. I can usually
>find jars between $1-2. I don't like meat in the sauce, would rather have
>meatballs on the side. Thick, long spaghetti, No trouble eating it. I grew
>up eating meat sauce, but meat takes away the acidic sauce I prefer. In
>that period a local restaurant made fabulous sauce we used to take home. My
>mother would often add some kind of meat, which I think was pork, to that
>sauce.it was not ground meat, but a chunk or two.

I find nothing bad about jarred sauce that contains no meat or
cheese... the kind with just veggies is no worse than using a can of
ordinary tomato sauce and doctoring. I don't even like home made meat
sauce that's made with ground meat, not even if it's meat I ground...
often ground meat turns out gritty no matter how long cooked. However
I like meat sauce cooked with pork chops in it. The market in town
has shoulder pork chops on sale this week, $1.39/lb in three pound
family packs... half a pack will suffice for a large pot of sauce.
Bone in shoulder chops make the best sauce, they contain a lot of fat
but cooked long and slow it's easy to skim most of the fat.

On Apr 10, 3:31*am, (Judy Haffner) wrote:
> I always start with Prego chunky spaghetti sauce for the base, and add a
> pkg. of spaghetti seasoning to it, Worcestershire sauce, lots of wine
> (no particular kind, just what I have on hand, but not a sweet wine) a
> tbsp. sugar, grated carrot, diced green pepper and onion, lots of minced
> fresh garlic, sliced fresh mushrooms, fennel seed, basil, bay leaves,
> and some season salt & pepper, but I go light on the salt. I used a lot
> of lean ground beef (browned) rather than make meatballs, and I also add
> a couple kinds of sliced sausage, such as beef Polish sausage. and I
> bring that to a boil to cook out some of the fat; drain. I let the sauce
> simmer a long time, as the longer the better.
>
> I never add any kind of oil, or butter to the sauce, but do toss
> somechopped parsley and butter to the cooked spaghetti (I like the thin
> and I break it in half before cooking).
>
> Judy

Prego is a decent bottled sauce. Sometimes I can get a jar for 99
cents. However, I prefer the 'Classico' brand we get here in Canada.
I don't know if you get it in the US. It is a tad expensive; I've
never seen a special for under $2.50. I like the spicy red pepper
sauce.

George M. Middius wrote:
> Julie Bove wrote:
>
>>> And I will add a splash of the
>>>> cooking water to help thicken it. I learned this from various TV
>>>> chefs such as Lidia Bastianich, Marianne Esposito and Nick
>>>> Stellino.
>
>>> The ladle of cooking water is used to 'thin' the sauce, not thicken
>>> it. Yes. I have seen all those chefs discuss this.
>>
>> The last chef I saw said it thickens the sauce because of the starch
>> in it.
>
> Are you putting us on?

No!

Brooklyn1 wrote:
> gregz wrote:
>>
>> Sauce would have to be pretty bad before I didn't eat it. I can
>> usually find jars between $1-2. I don't like meat in the sauce,
>> would rather have meatballs on the side. Thick, long spaghetti, No
>> trouble eating it. I grew up eating meat sauce, but meat takes away
>> the acidic sauce I prefer. In that period a local restaurant made
>> fabulous sauce we used to take home. My mother would often add some
>> kind of meat, which I think was pork, to that sauce.it was not
>> ground meat, but a chunk or two.
>
> I find nothing bad about jarred sauce that contains no meat or
> cheese... the kind with just veggies is no worse than using a can of
> ordinary tomato sauce and doctoring. I don't even like home made meat
> sauce that's made with ground meat, not even if it's meat I ground...
> often ground meat turns out gritty no matter how long cooked. However
> I like meat sauce cooked with pork chops in it. The market in town
> has shoulder pork chops on sale this week, $1.39/lb in three pound
> family packs... half a pack will suffice for a large pot of sauce.
> Bone in shoulder chops make the best sauce, they contain a lot of fat
> but cooked long and slow it's easy to skim most of the fat.

The one really bad jarred sauce I have tried is the Muir Glen. It had a
really harsh, odd taste to it. I can't understand it because their plain
tomato products are fine and their salsa is fine.

On Monday, April 9, 2012 9:27:30 PM UTC-5, gregz wrote:

> Meat sauce is best cooked long, but carrots might take a while. Regular
> sauce does not take long. My sister whipped the best tomato sauce I have
> eaten. I like it spicy. I hardly get mushroom sauce, but I love it. Perhaps
> some egg plant also.
>
> There was a show I watched where 4 Italian ladies were describing their own
> sauce. Mostly basic ingredients. They said no fillers, but their favorite
> jar sauce in a tv taste test was prego. I'm looking at my all natural
> tomato Basel, but no fillers on this one. I think corn starch was commonly
> used.
>
> Greg


My mother made a mirepoix using carrots, so they were sauteed before she made the sauce. I do not use carrots, but maybe I should, it makes the sauce a little sweeter. As far as jarred sauces, Prego tastes pretty good.

Julie Bove wrote:

> >>> And I will add a splash of the cooking water to help thicken it.

> >>> The ladle of cooking water is used to 'thin' the sauce, not thicken
> >>> it. Yes. I have seen all those chefs discuss this.

> >> The last chef I saw said it thickens the sauce because of the starch
> >> in it.

> > Are you putting us on?

> No!

OK, so how does adding water thicken the sauce? Did the "chef" mention
that you'd have to reduce the sauce (boil it down) by the volume of
water you added in order for the supposed starch to do any thickening?