I grew up in an Italian household. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, but I also had no choice in the matter. Everyone in the family was Italian. Even the pets. When I was very little, my grandmother had two parakeets that would fly from their open cage to perch on her fingers when she called them. Venga qui, she’d say, in her clipped Sicilian dialect. Then she’d follow with Dammi un bacio, and each would give her a quick peck on the face. Sometimes she’d go through the same routine, but entirely in English. Those birds, I was amazed to discover, were bilingual.
For the rest of us, it was how we talked about food that gave us our identity. For example, we never said pasta. I doubt I ever heard the word as a child. We had either spaghetti or linguini; everything else was macaroni, which were available in dozens of shapes. Our brand referred to each by name, but also by product numbers that were printed right on the box. For some reason, maybe to sound less Italian and more American, my mother used the numbers rather than the actual names.
“What are we having tonight?”
“Number seventeen.”
“Didn’t we have seventeen on Sunday?”
“No, that was thirty-nine.”
I never got the hang of the system, and so I had to wait until the meal was served before registering approval or disappointment. Different shapes had different textures, and then, as now, texture mattered.
Sunday mornings found my parents at the stove right after breakfast, frying garlic in a thin puddle of olive oil, then browning meatballs and sausage before adding them to an enormous pot of crushed tomatoes. Without fail, my father would brag that he was the better cook, and while his back was turned, my mother would roll her eyes and twirl a finger next to her temple. Meanwhile, the aroma of simmering gravy filled the house. Sometimes they’d give us a sample, which we’d eat from a small bowl, standing up in the kitchen. On Sundays we ate at three o’clock, but it was impossible to wait that long.
Gravy was what we called it, I think because it had meat. Sauce was meatless, and we usually had that for supper one night during the week. It was supper on week nights, but dinner on Sundays — another subtle distinction that I learned through repetition, rather than from any logical explanation. If there were leftovers, we’d give the cats a cold meatball and some spaghetti. They devoured it, as I looked on. I loved to watch the cats eat.
Today, supermarket shelves are filled with pasta sauces sold in jars. I shunned these products for many years, mostly because of my mother’s unfailing response to the very idea of our using them: “Your grandmother would turn over in her grave.” My mother had a way of painting unpleasant images with her words, but that one was by far the worst. And it did the trick. As an adult, I occasionally use sauce from a jar for a quick pizza, but rarely on pasta. Homemade sauce is too easy to make. And more important, it lets my grandmother rest in peace.
* * * * * *
This is the meatless version, enough for about four people:
28-oz. can of crushed tomatoes
one or two cloves of garlic
olive oil
salt
pepper
oregano
fresh basil
sugar
16 ounces of dry pasta
A slow cooker, such as a Crock-Pot, is my new favorite way to make sauce. Let it cook for several hours — the longer, the better — stirring every forty-five minutes or so. A regular pot is fine, too, and the sauce will be ready sooner. But there’s something about a long, low heat that transforms the mixture of ingredients into a single, beautiful food. Sauce, too, needs the right texture.
Pour some olive oil into the pot, enough to almost cover the bottom. Cut the garlic into tiny pieces (or use a garlic press) and add it to the oil. Use medium heat. If you’re making the sauce on the stove, cook the garlic for just a couple of minutes, and try not to let it turn brown. Then add the can of crushed tomatoes. Swirl a little water around in the almost empty can to grab the last of the tomatoes and pour that into the pot. Sprinkle in about a quarter-teaspoon each of salt, pepper, and oregano. After you stop sneezing, add a tablespoon of sugar and one or two leaves of fresh basil, if you have it. As with the slow cooker, the sauce on the stove will be better if you give it more time. The slow cooker should be on medium heat, but if you’re using a regular pot, wait about thirty minutes, then turn the heat down to low. Let it simmer, covered, for as long as you can wait. For a thicker sauce, remove the cover.
About thirty minutes before you want to eat, fill a large pot about three-quarters full of water. Add a little salt, if you want. When the water is boiling, slip the pasta into the pot. The cooking time is on the box, and will vary depending on the thickness and shape. If you’re making spaghetti, do not test it by throwing some at the wall to see if it sticks. This is an idiotic waste of food and makes a big mess. Taste a strand. It should be slightly chewy. Undercooked and overcooked are both sad outcomes, so stay in the kitchen and check it every minute or so.
Pour the pasta into a colander and shake it around until the water is gone. Then put the pasta back into the pot and stir in some sauce to prevent it from sticking together. Add a little more sauce and stir again. This is how they eat pasta in Italy, without pouring more sauce on top. I like a lot of sauce, so I always put more. There’s no wrong way. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and eat up.
To make garlic bread, slice a loaf of Italian bread or some Kaiser rolls in half. Cover the inside surfaces with olive oil (use a knife or spoon to spread the oil), then sprinkle generously with garlic powder (make sure it’s garlic powder, not garlic salt). Put on a pan and into the oven for 5-10 minutes at 375 degrees, then broil for another minute or two. Keep an eye on it — dark is delicious, but charcoal isn’t.
A small garden salad and a glass of red wine and you’re there. Be sure to save some for the cat.
Carol Deminski
February 28, 2012
Buona appetito! (I’m sure that is spelled wrong, sorry)
Mangia, mangia!
Okay, I’m out. I grew up in New Jersey, you’d think I’d know more Italian…
Grazie…
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bronxboy55
February 29, 2012
Actually, that’s pretty good, Carol. Buon appetito!
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Carol Deminski
February 29, 2012
Merci boucoup Charles!
Oh sorry, I meant Gracias. Danke. Chokran.
🙂
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charlywalker
February 28, 2012
and a cook too…….non cessa di stupirmi!!!
Grazie Charles, ora ho la mia cena per stasera!
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bronxboy55
February 29, 2012
Let me know how it turns out, CW. I’m sure you already realize that the ingredient amounts were just suggestions.
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mimi
February 28, 2012
thanks for the story. My cats ate (and still eat) cat food. But my grandparents (all 4 were Italian) had dogs and cats that ate macaroni too.
And then i went to Italy where i have dozens of cousins. And NO ONE saves left over pasta. It goes to the dogs, cats and pigs. even painstakingly hand made pasta!!!!! I must admit I was surprised to see cats eating penne with gusto!
Mimi Torchia Boothby Watercolors
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bronxboy55
February 29, 2012
Thank you, Mimi. It’s always nice to meet another cat lover. My cousins in Sicily feed pizza to their cat.
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Melinda
February 28, 2012
I like my pasta over cooked so I’m sure I would be banished from Italy. There are numbers on pasta? I’m going to have to pay more attention. Lol at the cat!!
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bronxboy55
February 29, 2012
I think the number system may be gone, Melinda. And I doubt they’d banish you in Italy, but they’d probably talk about you behind your back.
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gleaningthenuggets
February 28, 2012
What a wonderful post, thank you! I went to high school in Roma, so this brought back sweet memories and made me smile 🙂
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bronxboy55
March 1, 2012
And thank you for the wonderful comment, Niki. I’m looking forward to reading about your experiences in Italy.
Congratulations on your upcoming book.
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gleaningthenuggets
March 16, 2012
oops, still new to this, just saw your comment. Thanks for your reply 🙂
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Jac
February 28, 2012
I didn’t know that Grandma had birds, let alone bilingual ones! I don’t remember mom referring to the macaroni by numbers but I do remember it was either spaghetti or “fat” macaroni. Back then it was actually rigatoni but the rigatoni they have today has a different shape – not sure why they changed it, but it annoys me that they did.
I’m hungry now.
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bronxboy55
March 1, 2012
I liked the rigatoni when it was flat, rather than cylindrical. Nothing is sacred.
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Patti Kuche
February 28, 2012
Love that you call it “gravy” which to me is a mix of roasted meat juices, a sprinkle of flour and stock added slowly to scrape together an unctuous brown, gloopy glow! As for the cooking of the pasta, I have heard it said that you need to have the water as salted as the Mediterranean . . . can this be true???
Your sauce sounds divine. Some cats have all the luck!
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bronxboy55
March 1, 2012
I’ve only recently started to add salt to the water and it does seem to be an improvement. My mother used to pour in a heart-stopping amount of salt, and that turned me off to the idea for a long time.
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ptigris213
February 28, 2012
THANK YOU! My best friend was married to Pete, a New York City born Sicilian, who cooks like your grandmother did. Pete will be cooking for the gods when he dies, and I sure hope I’m at his table.
But he and my friend divorced before he gave me his grandmother’s meatball recipe and the sauce it goes with.
Will we get the meaty recipe next?
One of my cats adores anything with tomatoes in it, even raw tomatoes.
And my grandmother had a blue/gold macaw named something I can no longer remember, who could understand English and Polish..and could cuss in both. What was amazing was that he knew who could speak English (me) but not Polish (me) and would confine himself solely to the language he knew one could understand. My grandma knew both.
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bronxboy55
March 2, 2012
If I could start all over, I’d study animal language — especially birds. They’re amazing. About the meaty recipe: I haven’t eaten meat in twenty-two years, so the post would likely be filled with sarcasm and other types of annoying remarks, and it would just start a lot of arguments. Why don’t you write that post? Maybe you could get back in touch with Pete.
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Betty Londergan
February 28, 2012
Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum YUM!! I just love your posts about your family … I know nobody’s is perfect, but yours sounds pretty close. Specially your grandma!!
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bronxboy55
March 2, 2012
Not perfect, Betty, but they sure got the Italian cooking thing down pretty well.
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Ashley
February 28, 2012
Sounds delicious! I’m guilty of using the jars myself, but you have convinced me to try the homemade:)
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bronxboy55
March 2, 2012
I didn’t mean to arouse guilt, Ashley. Sometimes there’s just not enough time. I’m sure you know that as well as anyone.
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souldipper
February 28, 2012
Is it lady-like to salivate over one’s monitor? My cat taught me to stare long and hard to get results. Hasn’t worked yet. Wait…I’ll wake up Duc le Chat…
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bronxboy55
March 3, 2012
I think that’s a skill only cats possess. But I’m sure this recipe wouldn’t be much of a challenge for you, Amy.
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Sybil
February 28, 2012
To test to see if the spaghetti is done, I don’t throw it at the wall — I throw it on the dog. It’s a win – win. He gets a treat and I get to watch him turn himself into a pretzel getting said treat.
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bronxboy55
March 3, 2012
Nova Scotians are so weird.
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The Sandwich Lady
February 28, 2012
This brings back memories — of growing up in our own (suburban Philly) Italian household. Gravy made every Sunday (with meatballs, pork, a veal bone and sometimes bracciole); macaroni again every Thursday, then spaghetti “aglio e olio” on meatless Fridays. Still love making my own gravy (and marinara sauce), but occasionally punt and open a jar, usually of the vodka sauce. I doctor it up with cooked sweet sausages and a few basil shreds. Thanks for a delicious post.
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bronxboy55
March 3, 2012
Your comment was much more delicious than the post.
Thanks, Sandwich Lady.
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Noreen
February 28, 2012
You got it right brother, but I would have added my meatball recipe for those who eat meat. But since it’s a secret, no can do.
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bronxboy55
March 3, 2012
I always looked forward to going to your house for Sunday dinner.
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Sandra Parsons
February 28, 2012
So you inherited the art of conjuring up images through words from your mother. Thank Darwin yours are not unpleasant though. Quite the contrary.
Ah, the good old times. I remember rushing home from school on Saturdays because it was pasta day, with our special family receipe. Don’t ask, I don’t think the Italian in you would approve.
Love this post, as always. Thanks for making me remember.
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bronxboy55
March 3, 2012
Thank you, Sandra. You always have something kind and encouraging to say. I really appreciate it.
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John
February 28, 2012
I just ate a huge meal and now I’m hungry again!
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bronxboy55
March 3, 2012
I hope you’ll give it a try, John, and that the results will be worth the effort.
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magsx2
February 28, 2012
Hi,
I am certainly guilty of getting pasta sauce from a bottle, but your recipe sounds delicious and easy, I will definitely give it a go, and I will let you know how it all turned out. 🙂
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bronxboy55
March 1, 2012
No need for guilt, Mags. But I think you’ll get a feeling of satisfaction from the homemade sauce that you can’t find in a jar. Yes, please let me know.
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buckwheatsrisk
February 28, 2012
I don’t think I would make a very good Italian…I can’t eat garlic or onion…however, we have come up with a homemade pasta sauce…good for all numbers without the above! 😉
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bronxboy55
March 1, 2012
The great thing about tomato sauce is that you can increase, reduce, or eliminate any of the ingredients. Well, except for the tomatoes.
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buckwheatsrisk
March 1, 2012
ya it is a lot of fun figuring it out! wine is good in sauce!
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madamfickle
February 28, 2012
Mmmm. Homemade sauce is the best! I know what we’re having for dinner tomorrow. 🙂
I’ll let you know how it turns out.
My first cat used to hop up on the counter and lick the sauce from the pot on the stove. I caught him a couple times with a sauce goatee.
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bronxboy55
March 3, 2012
I’m sure veterinarians wouldn’t approve, but it never seemed to do our cats any harm. Thanks for the comment, madamfickle.
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writingfeemail
February 28, 2012
I love the idea of making this in the crock pot. That probably gives it that ‘grandma’ touch that you remember from childhood.
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bronxboy55
March 3, 2012
Try it, Renee, and let me know what you think.
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earthriderjudyberman
February 28, 2012
Loved your post and your recipe. I’m not Italian, but my godparents were. I can still smell the aromas from their kitchen. My husband got a rare treat on his birthday. Spaghetti with homemade sauce, meatballs and sausage. Great meal. BTW, we had a cat who ate spaghetti. Really, how could anyone pass up a good bowl of spaghetti and meat sauce?
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bronxboy55
March 3, 2012
Check your birth certificate, Judy: If you had Italian godparents, you’re an honorary Italian. It’s a little-known loophole.
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earthriderjudyberman
March 5, 2012
That brings me great comfort, Charles. I always felt I had to be part Italian as my favorite food was spaghetti.
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Priya
February 29, 2012
Woh ha! Finally the recipe for pasta sauce I wanted! Thank you.
By the way, Charles, what if I do not want to use canned tomatoes? Will blanched, peeled and then chopped tomatoes work just as well?
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bronxboy55
March 1, 2012
I was expecting a scolding from you, so the thank you caught me by surprise. In theory, fresh tomatoes should work at least as well, if not better. However, my experience with homegrown tomatoes was not a happy one. Let me know if you decide to try it.
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Priya
March 1, 2012
Did you miss the sarcasm, then? They say it’s more potent than anything else.
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bronxboy55
March 3, 2012
As you know, I don’t have a good ear for sarcasm, because I never use it myself.
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Priya
March 3, 2012
*chortles witchily*
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Marie M
March 3, 2012
A few caveats about fresh tomatoes–if they’re juicy, drain them well, or the sauce will be very watery. Also, while some people don’t mind the seeds, some might find them unappetizing. (I suppose whatever seeds are left in the processed tomatoes have been cooked to softness and aren’t very noticeable.) And remember to remove the core where the stem was attached–I hate finding that in the canned tomatoes, or worse, in the finished sauce. I think the much fresher flavor is worth the effort if you can get tasty tomatoes to start with.
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bronxboy55
March 5, 2012
Thanks, Marie. I imagine the specific type of tomato must be important, too. But as I said, I haven’t had much luck with any homegrown varieties.
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oneenglishteacher
February 29, 2012
I’m guilty of using canned sauce all.the.time. However, I’ve been contemplating lately how much my life would improve if I’d try some homemade sauce. Thanks for sharing the recipe. If the fact that it was from an Italian didn’t win me over, the words slow cooker did.
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bronxboy55
March 5, 2012
Keep the leftover sauce tightly-covered in the refrigerator and it’ll be good for at least a week. It’s perfect for homemade pizza, as well.
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SaptarshiC
February 29, 2012
You just made me very hungry. How about taking responsibility for that, eh?
😛
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SaptarshiC
February 29, 2012
On a side note, I think this cat-food business is ridiculous. Cats eat, and are supposed to eat anything they can get their claws on. I say that because have a cat who stopped eating fish, of all things, after starting with cat-food. Thankfully, she’s getting more interested in fish after a year of that junk.
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bronxboy55
March 5, 2012
Not only do I take responsibility, but I’m happy to hear it.
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bronxboy55
March 5, 2012
Yes, read those cat food labels carefully.
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heidit
February 29, 2012
That sounds amazing. I think I’m going to try it this weekend. I need some yummy food.
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bronxboy55
March 5, 2012
I hope you’re happy with the results, Heidi.
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Amiable Amiable
February 29, 2012
This calls for a new word: spagatto – (noun) a spaghetti-eating cat; spagatti (plural)
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Marie M
March 3, 2012
Brilliant! Who keeps the list of words-that-should-be?
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bronxboy55
March 5, 2012
AA is responsible for most of that list.
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rangewriter
February 29, 2012
I’ m pleased to discover that I’ve been making spagetti correctly all these years, purely by instinct, right down to the garlic powder bread (which I thought was cheating). The only thing I might do differently is to throw a tidge of red wine in the pot at some simmering point. Oh, now I’m hungry.
I bet it was your mom who did the hard work of making Sunday supper meatballs.
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bronxboy55
March 5, 2012
Both my parents got their hands right into it, Linda. It was definitely my mother who did the clean-up afterward, though.
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O. Leonard
February 29, 2012
I’m stuck in a household that has only one-quarter of the Italian blood left, my grandmother on my father’s side, Matedero. I LOVE spaghetti, my wife, not so much. So I don’t get it as often as I did growing up. Spaghetti night was Wednesday, always. I have to admit I use a jar sauce from the grocery store when I make it, but I’m going to try your sauce tonight in the crock pot. Notice I said, I make it, my wife will not. But she’ll eat it, since it’s not often I cook, and there’s not many things I can, but I’ve got the pasta down and I never use a wall.
I can’t tell you how many relatives were going to turn over in their graves by my mother for things I did or suggested I do. Maybe they were just tired of laying on their backs?
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bronxboy55
March 5, 2012
I hope you really did try it, O, and that the results were delicious. If not, I think there’s another Wednesday this week.
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happykidshappymom
February 29, 2012
Yes! As you know, my father’s Italian, and the half of my family who isn’t grew up in a neighborhood that was. So we had supper during the week, and Sunday Dinner at 2pm. I thought that was an eternity — I’d never have made it ’til 3.
A tablespoon of sugar? You know, in all the years I’ve made sauce I’ve never used sugar. I’ll have to try it. Thanks for the recipe, and the good words for slow cookers. I haven’t used mine much this winter, I’ll have to get it out. Snow today. Good for something slow-cooked tomorrow.
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bronxboy55
March 5, 2012
The story I was always told was that the sugar cut down on the acid in the tomatoes. It sounds plausible.
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dearrosie
February 29, 2012
” put the pasta back into the pot and stir in some sauce to prevent it from sticking together. Add a little more sauce and stir again.”
so that’s the secret to serving pasta that’s not stuck together in big gobs? My thanks to your Granny!
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bronxboy55
March 5, 2012
That’s one secret, Rosie. You can also add a little olive oil to the pasta and stir that around, in case you’re serving more than one kind of sauce.
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ailsapm
March 1, 2012
Yum, thanks for the recipe Charles. Growing up, we had a rabbit that ate bread and marmalade. Wouldn’t touch her other food unless we gave her the bread and marmalade first.
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bronxboy55
March 6, 2012
And it had to be a particular flavor of marmalade, I assume.
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ailsapm
March 6, 2012
Chiver’s thick shred, naturally!
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Terri O.A.
March 1, 2012
I thought my cats were weird for loving biscuits. Now I don’t feel so bad…spaghetti! It is nice to hear about your family. I can see it just like a movie….the writing is always better than the screen. Sounds like a good meal, and if it doesn’t work out the cats can clean up! Enjoyed your post that is always a bit of sunshine!
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bronxboy55
March 6, 2012
Thank you, Terri. Sharing personal family memories is always a little scary, because it’s hard to know if anyone will be able to relate to them.
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Terri O.A.
March 6, 2012
When I write about my Dad, I know that of course not everyone has the same experiences, and will someone understand it runs through my brain, but on the other hand it is just such a wonderful thing to tell a story. Your family stories are warm, wonderful, and if someone can’t relate it seems to me that it wouldn’t be difficult to be mesmerized by how someone else spent their childhood. Thanks for the comment!
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Missjlouise
March 2, 2012
Italian Sundays …perfect
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bronxboy55
March 6, 2012
They were perfect, and seem more so now.
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mostlikelytomarry
March 2, 2012
Loving you even more now! Great writing and a recipe? Perfection.
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bronxboy55
March 6, 2012
I always appreciate your encouragement. Thank you, again.
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Margaret Reyes Dempsey
March 2, 2012
My willing suspension of disbelief went right out the window with your mom calling macaroni by their numbers. She did NOT! 😀 And you can’t convince me she did. I’ll only believe it if Jac jumps in and says it’s so.
You brought up some great memories for me. In my childhood home, mom would fry up the meatballs and add them to the simmering sauce. So for breakfast on Sundays, it was a fried meatball with a bit of the “raw” sauce and some Locatelli grated cheese. (We also ate this one night as an evening snack while we watched the movie Fatso. As Dom was layering the sauce and cheese on his meatball, so were we. The power of suggestion.)
I agree with you about the texture of macaroni. Spaghetti is my favorite. And much more digestible. There’s something about rigatoni that sits in my gut for 18 hours like a bowling ball.
Oh, and I didn’t use the word pasta until I was well into adulthood. It was always macaroni. My Sicilian relatives called it sauce; my Neapolitan relatives called it gravy.
(Sometimes my Sicilian great grandfather would put pigs feet in the sauce. Ugh, jeez. This little piggy went to market but left his little oofies behind. Yuk.)
Great post, paisan’.
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bronxboy55
March 6, 2012
Apparently, my sister will be no help on this number thing, but it’s the truth. Ronzoni used to put the numbers on the box; I don’t know if they still do.
My father’s aunt loved pigs’ feet. It was one of many bewildering things about my childhood.
Grazie, Margaret. It’s nice to have shared memories.
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lostnchina
March 2, 2012
Here I was thinking that I’d read another great post about childhood reminiscing and I got not only that but a great recipe and a resulting intense hunger. Only thing available to eat right now – a banana and instant Ramen noodles. Being a Chinese (on a diet) is much less fun than being an Italian.
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bronxboy55
March 6, 2012
I bet you can find the ingredients in less than an hour, and for just a few dollars. Eliminate the bread and your diet is saved.
It’s been a while since I’ve visited your excellent blog, Susan. I hope to rectify that very soon.
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Mitch Mitchell
March 3, 2012
For me right now, the best part about NOT being Italian is that I can eat Ragu without any guilt. I love Ragu, and it’s the only sauce I’ll eat in the house. Strange as this part may sound, I won’t eat tomato sauce outside of the home except for lasagna; lasagna conquers all.
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bronxboy55
March 6, 2012
I can’t say I agree about Ragu, but I won’t argue with your last statement. The only thing better than lasagna is leftover lasagna.
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Mai El-Baghdady
March 3, 2012
New information about the Italian food culture and a delicious recipe I think (Because I didn’t try it). Thanks a lot 🙂
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bronxboy55
March 6, 2012
Maybe you will try it. I hope so.
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She's a Maineiac
March 6, 2012
Reading this has made me beyond hungry. My brothers and I used fling a strand at the wall to see it if would stick. Drove my mom batty to walk into the kitchen a few weeks later and notice the hardened spaghetti still stuck to the upper corner of the wall. Once pasta hardens, it’s like cement, not easy to scrape off.
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bronxboy55
March 6, 2012
Not easy to scrape off — exactly. And whether or not it sticks in the first place probably has more to do with the wall’s surface than anything about the pasta.
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Marie M
March 9, 2012
My daughter found a site with wonderful short films–nearly as brilliant in their own way as your posts are, bronxboy . . . . if you haven’t seen them, I invite you and your readers to visit this take on “Western Spaghetti”–gravy/sauce included. Check out some of the other shorts as well. Hope you like them, because I think I see a lot of parallels to your work.
http://www.eatpes.com/western_spaghetti.html
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bronxboy55
March 16, 2012
I have to disagree, Marie. I just watched the film and think it’s more creative than anything I’ve written. I can’t even imagine how they did half of those things. Thanks!
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Strings 'n Things
March 20, 2012
Yummy. I love spaghetti– we aren’t Italian but I loved my mother’s simple sauce, latter when working full time, raising kids and such I resorted to the bottled variety of sauces. Shame on me.
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bronxboy55
September 27, 2012
Actually, some of the grocery store sauces are pretty good, especially on homemade pizza.
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Penny
May 25, 2012
Your grandma’s parakeets are surely amazing! and for the cat just don’t get them used to those foods, because in the future they won’t eat anything else except spaghetti. That’s what happened to my dog. We always feed her Fried Chicken and Barbeque, now guess what! My dog won’t eat if it’s not Fried Chicken and Barbeque.
“Penny” for robe habillée
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bronxboy55
September 27, 2012
We now have one cat who wants to eat everything we’re eating, and one who eats nothing but cat food.
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margieinitaly
June 30, 2012
I love the story! I am second generation Italian and so remember those same kinds of things from my grandmothers… Yes we always had spaghetti and never called it pasta. Today however I call it pasta like they do in Italia!
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bronxboy55
September 27, 2012
I just wandered over to your blog, and it’s filled with amazing stories and photographs. Thanks for the comment.
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Rufina
January 22, 2013
It’s midnight, and now I want linguini. One of my best girlfriends in Montreal is Italian. I treasure each jar of sauce she gives me. I was “La Damigella D’Onore”(I had to look that up…) at her wedding. I should do a post on that experience. I don’t think I’ve had a comparable meal at a wedding since. If I tried to make this, I would probably set off the smoke alarm, even with a slow cooker.
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bronxboy55
January 22, 2013
I know that midnight feeling, Rufina. I don’t know if I’ve ever gotten up to cook at that hour, but I hope I do someday. By the way, our smoke alarm goes off when we make toast. Don’t let that stop you. The sauce is easy.
And, yes, a post on an Italian wedding in Montreal would be fun to write. And fun to read, I’m sure.
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Chichina
April 17, 2013
I’m forever getting entrapped in your blogs about food. I’m starved now… I love spaghetti… and linguini, and oh…….. manicotti………… I also love garlic bread or any kind of bread for that matter… And dessert. I love dessert. Did I mention that I’m starved?
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bronxboy55
April 23, 2013
You’ll have to come over for dinner sometime.
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bertha91nsrqkxvdz.beeplog.com
July 3, 2014
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AshGreen
May 24, 2020
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