Best Mamas Marinara Recipes

MY MOTHER'S MARINARA SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, the garlic, red pepper flakes, and sugar and season with salt, to taste. Stir in the carrots and reseason with salt. Cook for about 2 minutes, and then add canned tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon to break up some of the whole tomatoes and cook over medium heat, stirring from time to time, about 20 minutes. If at any point the veggies or the sauce is getting dry, add some water. Continue cooking another 10 minutes, and then taste for seasoning. The tomatoes should be fairly broken down and the flavors coming together. Cook an additional 10 minutes. The sauce cooks about as long as it takes to make the meatballs from start to finish, about 45 minutes. Stir in the basil leaves and season with Parmesan.

MAMA'S MARINARA

Steps:

• Cook the garlic and onion in the olive oil in a sauce pot over a medium-low flame, about 10 minutes or until garlic is tender and onions translucent, not brown (this is called"sweating" because it will draw out a lot of moisture and flavor).
• Add the chili flakes to taste.
• Add all the tomato products.
• Pour the chicken stock into one of the 28-oz cans.
• Fill it the rest of the way with water and add that and the sugar to the pot.
• Stir and bring to a simmer.
• Taste and season with salt and cover.
• Simmer the sauce for about 1 hour (the sauce should be fairly thin, but not watery and very smooth).
• Uncover and simmer for 3 minutes if it is too thin for your taste; add a little water if it seems thick.

MOM'S QUICK MARINARA SAUCE

Steps:

• Open cans of tomatoes, pour them into a blender, and puree them. Place them aside.
• In a large saucepot and on low-medium heat, heat olive oil. Add whole garlic cloves and sauté the garlic until they turn golden brown, about 2 minutes.
• Next, turn off the heat, or remove the pot from the heat, and have the cover to the pot nearby.
• Add the red pepper flakes. Then drop all the basil leaves at once and COVER immediately! This will prevent the oil to splash all over the kitchen and onto yourself. After a minute or so, slowly stir the basil. This will infuse the flavors of the basil and red pepper into the oil giving it a strong punch of flavor to the sauce.
• Turn the heat back on. NEXT, add the tomatoes. Cover with a lid and bring the sauce to a low boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer the sauce for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring it occasionally.
• As the sauce thickens, depending on the brand of imported tomatoes, you may need to add some water if it's getting too thick.
• Finally, taste the sauce, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Before serving, fish out the garlic cloves and discard them. Allow the sauce to completely cool before storing it in containers and refrigerate. Can freeze up to 3 weeks.
• Yields: about 2 quarts

CHEF ROCCO DISPIRITO'S MAMA'S MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Place the chicken stock, onion, garlic, and parsley in a blender or food processor and puree.
• In a large bowl, combine the pureed stock mix, meat, bread crumbs, egg, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, red pepper flakes, and salt.
• Combine with hands until mixture is uniform, do not overmix.
• Put a little olive oil on your hands and form mixture into balls a little larger than golf balls.
• Pour about 1/2 inch of extra virgin olive oil in straight sided, 10-inch-wide saute pan and heat over medium-high flame.
• Add the meatballs to the pan, working in batches if necessary, and brown meatballs, turning once.
• This should take about 10-15 minutes.
• While meatballs are browning, heat the marinara sauce in a large pot.
• Transfer the meatballs to the pot with the marinara sauce and simmer for one hour.
• Serve alone or over your favorite pasta.

HOMEMADE MARINARA SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large heavy pot over mediumheat. Cook onion and garlic until softand translucent, about 8 minutes. Addtomatoes, red-pepper flakes, 1 teaspoonsalt, and some pepper. Simmer, covered,until thick, 25 minutes. Stir in herbs.

MAMA'S MARINARA SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan on medium-low heat.
• Add garlic and saute gently for about 2-3 minutes.
• Combine tomato paste and water in the saucepan; blend in tomatoes.
• Add fresh parsley.
• Heat over high heat until sauce begins to boil.
• Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes.
• Add salt and/or pepper, to taste.
• Serve over hot, cooked pasta.
• Or try as a dipping sauce for breadsticks, pizza crust, fried cheese sticks or vegetables.