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bigbearjeff · 11-07-2007, 10:08 AM

So you want to make a good speghetti sauce? I grew up in South Jersey. It is a melting pot for ethnicity and good food. I have been developing this recipe over time, and am really happy with the results so far. I just want to say that the work in making sauce is all on the front end, but I think you will see it is really not that much work. The rewards are definitely worth the effort.

Please note that I make my meatballs separately. That is where any real protien is coming from for this meal. I do NOT encourage cooking meatballs in the sauce. It just adds lots of fat and grease. Cook and drain them separately and drop them in the sauce for the last hour of cooking if desired.

Here's a list of what you will need:

2 29oz cans of Hunts tomato sauce (no ragoo please)

1 14.5oz can of chopped tomatos

1 medium onion

2 cups of celery(Don't worry about perfect measurement here, just cut off the last 4 inches of the stalk at the leafy end)

8 oz of raw mini carrots (Surprise!)

3 Chopped Garlic Gloves

2 tablespoons of (dry) chopped basil (not the fresh stuff)

1 teaspoon of (dry) parsley

1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 teaspoon of black Pepper

3 bay leaves

1/4 cup Parmesian Cheese

Some of these ingredients may be a surprise, but trust me they are the secrets. Note there is no salt in this recipe. You honestly will not need it.

If you have a steamer place the carrots in the steamer. You want them fully cooked. This are going to me blended in a food processor so the let them get mushy. Anywhere from 15-20 minutes in a steamer will do it. If you do not have a steamer you can put them in water in a bowl and microwave to get the same mushy results.

While they are steaming take the celery and onions and chop them just enough to get them into your food processor. When the carrots are done place them in the food processor as well. Once all three items are in the food processor blend it until it is a liquid substance. (Sounds crazy doesn't it? Trust the bear!) Please note more blending is better than not enough. This product is going to "fade" into our sauce and be the flavor provider and carrier.

In a large sauce pan pour enough Olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Less is better than more here. Now take the contents of your Food processor and pour it into the pan. Cook for 5-10 minutes at a high heat stirring constantly. Lower the temperature to a simmer and pour two tablespoons of olive oil over the mix. Stir in the bay leaves, chopped Garlic cloves, Basil, Black Pepper, and Parsley. The idea here is we want this to cook down a little before adding any of the cans of Tomato sauce. Let that simmer for another 10 minutes stirring occasionally. By the way, the house is now starting to smell good at this point! People in the house will be wandering by to see what is up.

Add one can of DRAINED chopped tomatos. Stir it in and let that simmer at a low/medium heat for another 10 minutes. Keep stirring every couple of minutes.

Take the two large cans of Tomato sauce and pour over the mix and stir in with a large spoon.

Adjust the temperature to a medium high heat and cook for 5-10 minutes or until you start to see some large bubbling action. Reduce to a low heat and cover. Let this cook at a low temperature for an hour. Feel free to stir it once in a while, but you do not need to babysit it at this point.

After one hour come back and carefully stir in 1/4 cup of parmesian cheese. You have to take your time and do this slow. You want it throughout the sauce and not in clumps. Cover and let it cook another hour.

That is my sauce. The longer it cooks, the better it is, and of course the next day it is even better. As many of you know there are cookbooks out now showing you tricks on how to get your kids to eat vegetables. I learned that trick years ago, thus the carrots. Please know you can add other vegetables as well such as Brocolli and couliflour. Always remember whether you like the vegetables or not that they have a wonderful flavor that is hidden beneath the sauce. I told my son this week that there was carrots in the sauce. He said, "Yuck. When did you start doing that?" I told him, "I always did that. I just never told you." He said, "Well, it is awesome spaghetti sauce!"

Enjoy,

Jeff