Pesto

According to Dad, Grandma Tressa used to mix pesto with cream cheese and serve with pasta. 

Fill food processor loosely with basil leaves. Add: 1 clove garlic, minced; salt, pepper, a bit of red pepper flakes, and a handful of pine nuts. Chop, adding olive oil as basil leaves chop, until the consistency is right. Add a handful of grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.

If you want to store this for a long time, do not add the cheese until you are ready to serve it. If you store it in the refrigerator pour a layer of olive oil over the top before storing. Alternatively store it in the freezer.

Tomato Sauce (John's)

Because of Chicago's crazy spring, we planted our Romas earlier than ever--May 10th!--and we already have fruits showing. That's unprecendented in 13 years of gardening, so I'm re-publishing John's gravy recipe today....he'll be using it soon. ~~Sandi

Of all the Italian sauces, tomato is the base of most familiar Italian cooking. We always called it gravy. A visit to Nana and Pop-Pops in Brooklyn also meant a walk down the block to Grandma Fanny's, where Pops' brothers and sisters would already have gathered for Sunday dinner: Uncle Danny, Uncle Ernie, Aunt Mela with Uncle Pat, Aunt Rita with Uncle Marcie, Aunt Lena, Aunt Rosie, Uncle Manny. Coming up the stairs to Grandma's apartment, the aroma caught you; open her door and be immediately warmed and soothed. Homemade sausage and a fresh provolone hung from the ceiling. "Johnny-boy," Grandma cut a slice of bread and dipped it in the bubbling gravy for you. "Biscot?" and she put a biscotti in your hand. Off to greet the great Uncles and Aunts. Uncle Ernie always had a buck or two in his fist for you to snatch from him. Uncle Pat was the funniest, nicest guy in the world.

The women all had their own methods, but the feeling of a good gravy was always the same. This recipe comes from watching Mom, but it's John's method. Sandi grows the tomatoes, basil and oregano in our garden. The spice measurements are imprecise; work it out for yourself. Always use a wooden spoon.

20 Italian plum tomatoes or two 28 oz. cans plum tomatoes, whole or crushed
2 cans unflavored Italian tomato paste
2 or 3 tbsp. olive oil
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, halved, sliced and chopped into segments
1 tbs. oregano, more or less
About 1/2 tbsp. basil
1 tsp. or so crushed red pepper
2-3 bay leaves

Heat the olive oil in the bottom of a 4-6 quart pot. Saute the onion and garlic until the onions clarify. Add tomatoes-- you can use a blender for whole tomatoes, or as Mom used to do with the canned plums, crush them with your hand. In either case, the mixture should be pulpy. Add the paste, along with two paste cans of water, and stir until the paste is blended. Add the salt, pepper, spices and bay leaves, stir in four cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Leaving the pot uncovered will reduce the sauce more quickly. I like to leave the spoon in the pot to prop the lid open; this will also season the spoon nicely. Over about two hours, the sauce will reduce by two cups of water; add two more. Do this at least twice during the process, meaning the sauce will cook about six hours total. I add the meatballs or sausage for the last half-hour of cooking. If you want mushrooms or green peppers, add them at the same time, so they don't overcook. I also turn off the heat, uncover the sauce and let it stand when I start the water for spaghetti or macaroni. Have grated Parmesan or Romano cheese on the table, along with the crushed red pepper for Nana Stella.

Grandma Tressa's Brown Sauce

Jimmy says this is Paul Chalifour's favorite Scavone family recipe.

1-2 oz dry Porcini mushrooms
Minced garlic
1 lb bulk Italian sausage
12 oz tomato paste
28 oz can tomatoes
Red wine
Salt, pepper to taste
Basil
Oregano
Parsley
Allspice

Reconstitute 1-2 oz porcini mushrooms in small amount of water. Save water. In pot, saute garlic in olive oil. Add sausage, brown and drain thoroughly. Add paste and saute about 1 minute. Puree tomatoes in blender and add to sausage mixture. Thin mixture with the tomato paste can filled with 1/2 red wine and 1/2 mushroom water (including mushrooms). Season with remaining ingredients. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve over pasta.

Sunday Pasta Dinner

This isn't really a recipe, but more a roadmap for our typical Sunday pasta dinner. All together, you can easily serve 12 people with this meal. Use your favorite version of each recipe from the website (Jimmy's bracciole? Johnny's gravy? Mom's meatballs?). For the meatballs and sausage, use amounts according to what your guests prefer (my kids love meatballs, so I make 3 pounds of meatballs and 2 pounds of sausage). Add a large salad or a nicely sauteed vegetable (brocolli or spinach work well) and some good Italian bread and you're all set!

Gravy (aka Tomato Sauce) - a recipe made with 4, 28-ounce cans of tomatoes is enough

1 recipe of bracciole

2 or 3 pounds of meatballs

2 or 3 pounds of Italian sausage

2 pounds of your favorite pasta (I like rigatoni)

Prepare the bracciole and meatballs according to their recipes, up to the point where you have browned them all. Brown the sausage over medium heat.

After you've made the gravy and brought it to a simmer, add the browned bracciole. Continue simmering the bracciole for about an hour and then add the browned sausage. Let the sausage and bracciole simmer for another half hour and then add the browned meatballs. Simmer for another 1.5 hours so that the bracciole have been simmering in the gravy for a total of 3 hours. If necessary, add hot water to the gravy as the meats simmer to keep the meats submerged.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package so that the pasta and meats are finished cooking at about the same time. Drain the pasta.

Transfer the meats to a large platter and spoon some gravy over the pieces. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl and spoon some gravy over and toss. Sprinkle the pasta with parmesan cheese. Put extra gravy and parmesan on the table. Serve.

Uncle John's Barbecue Sauce

My favorite time of year. A good barbecue sauce works with beef, pork or chicken, and isn't a lot of work. The quantities here will do 4-6 pieces of meat with some for the table. Multiply at will.

1/2 stick of butter
6 oz. can tomato paste, two paste cans water
about 1 tbs. each garlic powder and tarragon
hot pepper sauce (i.e., Tabasco, Louisiana hot sauce, etc.)

Melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Blend in paste and water, add spices and a dozen dashes of hot sauce, or to taste if you must. Bring to a simmer for five minutes. For pork and chicken, I put the meat in a bowl, pour the sauce over it and cover; this will start cooking the meat, so you don't have to grill it black to make sure it's done. For beef, I lay it on a rack in a baking pan, brush on the sauce and put it in the fridge. Either way, let it sit for a couple of hours before grilling; enjoy a cocktail and the ballgame.

Origin of "barbecue"
I heard this story in San Juan:
The Arawak natives of the Caribbean had a method of weaving branches to make beds, and a smaller version they used to cook meat slowly over hot coals in pits. The Spanish conquerors enjoyed it so much, they carried the technique home and to other parts of the New World. Their word for the woven grate was "barbacoa."

Alfredo a la Lisa

This is Lisa Joy's recipe for alfredo. It is delish, not to mention quick and easy.
Melt 1 stick butter and 6 oz cream cheese.Whisk in 3/4 cup grated parmesan and 1 cup whole milk.
Add salt, pepper, garlic and parsley to taste.
If you like a thicker sauce add more parmesan; if you want it thinner, add more milk.
This amount is enough for about 8 ounces of pasta, with 1-1/2 lbs cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces and added to sauce.

Tomato Sauce, aka Gravy (Bim's)

Since Johnny, Ginny and Jimmy posted theirs, here's my version.
2 cloves garlic, minced and smashed with sea salt to make a thick puree
1 small onion, minced - may substitute dried minced onion, but if you do, add it to the liquid with the rest of the spices -- don't saute it
a little olive oil
6 oz. paste (unflavored)
28 oz. whole peeled tomatoes, pureed in the blender or food processor
salt, pepper, basil, oregano, parsley, a small touch of hot red pepper (just enough to give it a little interest - this should not taste spicy)

Saute the garlic and fresh onion in the olive oil until soft. Add paste and brown for a minute or two. Add pureed tomatoes. Add the rest of the ingredients and "a paste can of water." Simmer on low heat, covered, with lid of pot slightly ajar. Simmer a couple of hours. You can add browned meatballs, Italian sausage, browned meat (I use veal or lamb), etc. Sometimes for a meat sauce, to make it more hearty, I add half water and half red wine instead of just water, and throw in a touch of Grandma Teresa's secret ingredient.

Tomato Sauce aka Gravy (Ginny's)

I learned this from Mom when I was a teenager. Apologies for the vague measurements...it's an intuitive thing!

Stir together in 8-quart pot:
4 28-ounce cans of whole Italian plum tomatoes, crushed in your hand or pureed in blender
4 6-ounce cans tomato paste and 2 paste-cans of water
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
parsley flakes - I think it's about 2 Tbsp
oregano - maybe 1 Tbsp?
basil - 2 tsp?
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves

Bring to a boil, stirring so that the sauce doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Turn down, cover with the lid slightly ajar. Simmer for at least two hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust spices. (If the sauce is sour, add onion. I keep onion powder and garlic powder on hand, since it's easier to not have to chop or mince in order to adjust).
For meat-sauce, add browned ground beef/pork.
Or add browned meatballs and/or Italian sausage.

Meat Sauce (Jimmy's)

This version of meat sauce is based on Mom's but since I never asked her how to make this particular sauce and only learned by watching her, it is a combination of versions I've picked up along the way. A friend of mine from Brooklyn told me that this is a classic "Italian-American" sauce. Not one you're likely to find in Italy, where you would more likely have a true Bolognese. I use this sauce for lasagna, manicotti, and ravioli, as well as a topping for pasta when I don't have time to make meatballs!

Two 35 oz. cans plum tomatoes

Two 6 oz. cans tomato paste

1 large onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

2-3 bay leaves

2 tsp. oregano

1 cup red wine

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground pork

approx. 1 lb. pork or veal bones

Salt

Olive oil

You can puree the tomatoes in a blender, crush them with your hands, or pass them through a food-mill (I usually use the food-mill for this sauce).

Heat enough olive oil to generously coat the bottom of your pan. Add the onions, season lightly with salt, and cook until they began to turn gold. Add the garlic and continue sauteing until the garlic just begins to turn brown. Add the meat bones and cook until they are browned on all sides. Remove the meat bones to a plate.

Add the ground meats to the pan, season lightly with salt, and cook until the meats are well-browned, approximately 10-15 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir well to combine with the meat and scrape up any browned pieces that are stuck to the pan. Let the paste cook for 1 minute and then add the wine. Stir to combine. Pour in the pureed tomatoes. Add the bay leaves and oregano and put the pork bones back into the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring occasionally. Adjust the heat so that the sauce is simmering and cook, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours. The sauce will turn a deep red in color. I try to keep the level of the sauce the same by adding hot water as the sauce evaporates. This recipe probably makes enough for two pound of pasta.

Amatriciana (Pancetta and Tomato Sauce)

When John and Lisa Joy went to Rome on their honeymoon in 2005, they ate pasta with this delicious sauce. Around that same time, I bought a new cookbook called The Concise Gastronomy of Italy, by Anna Del Conte. I played around with Ms. Del Conte's recipe, combining it with what Lisa remembered about the dish from their trip. Here, then, is my version of Amatriciana.

Enough for 4-6 servings of pasta

2 - 3 cups tomato puree
12 oz unsmoked pancetta, cubed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, very finely chopped
salt
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 dried chili, finely chopped, or dried red pepper flakes to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
freshly ground black pepper

Saute the unsmoked pancetta cubes in olive oil until the fat has run out and the meat is crisp and brown. Stir frequently.
Add the onion and a pinch of salt to the skillet and saute for about 10 minutes. Mix in the garlic and chili pepper. Cook for an additional minute, then add the wine. Turn up the heat and let the wine bubble away to reduce it by half.
Pour in the tomato puree and simmer for 15 minutes so the flavors blend.
Season with freshly ground pepper, adjusting salt and chili pepper, if desired.
Serve over spaghetti or other pasta.