Nana’s ITALIAN Spaghetti Sauce
Notes
I always loved that Helen’s sauce wasn’t Spaghetti Sauce it was ITALIAN Spaghetti Sauce. Somehow this was an oxymoron for me. This recipe originally came from Aunt Marian who was Helen’s sister in law. Marian was Italian and worked in the A&P Grocery store so she was REAL ITALIAN. Hence the family always calls it ITALIAN Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- Sauce
- 1 - Large can ( 28 oz.) of Tomatoes
- • Pope brand
- • Red Packed
- • Crushed, plum or whole (Your choice)
- 3 - Cans (6 oz.) tomato paste
- • Fill each can with water
- • Clean out the can and add to spaghetti sauce
- 1 - Tablespoon thyme leaf
- 1 - Tablespoon Oregano
- 1 - Tablespoon Basil leaves
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 4 -(or more) Large pieces of Garlic
- • For frying with meatballs
- Meat Balls and Sausages
- 1.5 - cups Italian Bread Crumb
- 1 lb. - chopped beef (Chopped chuck)
- 1 – Teaspoon thyme leaf
- 1 – Tablespoon poultry seasoning
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- ¼ - Cup milk
- 1 – egg
- 1 – Lb. Italian Sausages (Nana like it hot)
- 2 to 3 pieces of pork
- • Pork chops, shoulder or spare ribs
Instructions
- In a large pot make the spaghetti sauce
- Cut the Italian sausages into 1 inch pieces and fry in a frying pan
- Meanwhile
- As the sausage is being fried and spaghetti sauce is cooking:
- Make Meat Balls
- o Soak bread crumb in milk
- o Combine beef, breadcrumb, thyme, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper
- o Form into balls 2 inches around
- When sausage is browned and “sorta” done (cooked) put them in the spaghetti sauce
- Peel and cut garlic cloves into slices
- o Put into sausage grease and “sorta” brown the garlic
- Then brown the meatballs in the sausage grease with the garlic in the pan
- As the meat balls get browned and looked cooked, put them in the Italian Sauce too!
- Also brown the pork chops or whatever pork. Whe browned put the pork into the spaghetti sauce. Gives good flavor!
- Now add water (28 oz tomato can) to the garlic slices which are left in the pan (Do not throw them away)
- Scrape and loosen the brown bits from the sausage, meatballs and pork from the bottom of the pan and stir together with the water. (Do not throw the water away) which still has garlic slices) Nana really liked her garlic.
- After pan becomes clean from scraping and stirring add all this mixture to the Italian sauce which is cooking. This gives the Spaghetti sauce a delicious flavor Enjoy!. Yum Yum