Conference turris::cooks

    Oh boy, do I love this topic!  I have a basic, easy sauce that I
    make up from time to time. It's not homemade or fancy, but I like
    it.
    
    Using Spatini brand powdered spaghetti sauce mix as a base, add
    tomato sauce, minced garlic, chopped onions, green peppers, red peppers,
    mushrooms, celery, beef, thyme, oregano, pepper, basil, one bay leaf, a
    dash of salt, some red pepper (for zing) and a teaspoon of sugar 
    (optional, to remove some of the acidity).  You can also use pork 
    (sausage) in place of, or in addition to, the beef.  There are many 
    varying ways to prepare this, and I just like to experiment with it 
    and season to taste as I go along.  

    Mike

    Mike, what's in the powdered sauce mix?  Your sauce looks like
    it'd be just fine without any mix added!  The only addition I'd
    make is a splash of wine (whatever sort happens to be at hand;
    though I've heard burgandy is good in spaghetti sauce, I don't
    usually drink it so it ends up being white wine.)
    
    --Louise

    Never thought of adding wine to the sauce (probably because I'm
    already "sauced" with wine by the time the spaghetti is ready)!
    
    We ran out of Spatini the other day so I can't check the ingredients
    till I buy another box.  The reason I like to add the other "stuff"
    is cause the Spatini is rather dry and plain by itself.  It calls
    for a 6 oz. can of tomato paste and one 6 oz. can of water to make
    the sauce, I like my sauce a bit zestier.
    
    Mike

This is spaghetti sauce the old fashioned way:

	Take about 4 cloves of pressed garlic and fry them in the large 6 - 8 
qt. pan that you'll be doing the sauce in. Then get a finely minced onion and 
fry that along with the garlic. (some people take the garlic out then fry the 
onion but I don't). Once the onion is getting to be transparent, lower your 
heat for the next part. Once you notice that the frying has been reduced to 
a minimum, Take either 2 cans (4 lb.) of peeled tomatoes or the equivalent 
in fresh. Use 1 can of tomato paste for every can of tomatoes. Add 
approximately 1 cup of red wine and assorted spices. I commonly use a touch of 
salt, pepper, basil, oregano, Italian seasoning and of course crushed red 
pepper. I have in the past used red Szechuan pepper for that little extra bite. 
As the sauce is cooking, break up the tomatoes with the your spoon. Please 
don't put them through a food processor or use a potato masher. Let this 
simmer for about 3-4 hours.

Please note there is no sugar or a carrot (sometimes used) to cut the acidity.
You won't need it.


						Robert Sarao

Agreed. A couple of comments/additions:

1) Add coarsely chopped green/red/yellow peppers for color and crunch (these 
can be added late on so they don't get too overcooked. I saute 'em in good 
olive oil before adding

2) .-1 may not have mean Szechewan peppercorns (or maybe he did) - these have 
a pretty bizarre flavor... for "zing", I use a little cayenne pepper. Szechewan 
peppercorns are closer to brown than red, actually.

3) Don't buy cheap tomatoes. Buy good tomatoes when they're on sale. Pastene, 
hunts, etc are fine, tho I'm assure there is great debate on the subject. If 
you get excessive acidic tomatoes, a small amount of baking soda will help 
neutralize (not for low salt diets!). Watch out for foaming when you add this, 
tho.

4) I add diced tofu for nutrition (I sometimes feed vegetarian friends, so I 
don't add meat until I'm serving. Tomato sauce made this way is mostly 
carbohydrate (save for the oil), tofu adds some protein without adding any fat, 
and aside from the white specs, you won't notice the taste (tofu doesn't have 
much to begin with...) nor the consistency

5) Make a BUNCH and freeze it. It isn't much incremental effort to make "more"; 
this way you can do it less often (less cleanup!). It freezes very well - put 
in Ziplock bags if you've no containers. BTW; don't store tomato sauce in any 
plastic container that you don't mind being stained forever.


-Scott

I've found that if you use lots of onions, and sautee them till they begin to 
caramelize, you won't need to add the sugar.  

Also, when I make meat sauce, I add MEAT.  I mean left over hunks of steak, 
those real thin pork chops that get too dried out, chikcen drumsticks, ... 
etc.  

And, I've found a fairly tasty line of canned whole and crushed and paste
tomatoes that are made without ANY spices...particularly, no salt.  I like the
idea of using my own spices, and my doctor likes the idea of no salt.  Well, I
cooked up a megabatch of usual sauce, and lo and behold, something was really
missing! Since I'm not a written recipe cooker, I ran thru my wine soaked mind
(here's to Graham Kerr) and couldn't think of thing I left out.  Turns out it
was the salt...with some reluctance, I started adding a little at a time.  I
ended up with about a teaspoon of salt to 4 gallons of sauce, but as I added
it a little at a time, it was really interesting to taste the flavors start to
surface.  The overall salt content ended up being negligible, compared to
presalted tomatoes. 

By the way, the brand of tomatoes is Spagnuolo's, which I find at the Market 
Basket in Fitchburg, Ma.

    I have a confession to make. As much as I like to cook, I've gotten
    to like a brand of ready-made spaghetti sauce called "Prego".  I
    just cook up some hamburger in the pan and dump in a jar of this
    stuff.  It tastes great and it's quick for when you come home from
    work and it's your turn to cook.
    
    My spouse, however, prefers the "Ragu" chunky garden style, says
    the "Prego" is too sweet.
    
    Years ago, a friend of mine worked at home, designing food for the
    company that makes "Ragu".  I think it's Cheeseboro-Ponds.  Anyway,
    I stayed with them for a while when she was developing a meatloaf
    sauce,and we had meatloaf about every night and had to give a critique
    on the latest batch.  It was test marketed but it had too many
    expensive ingredients and never caugght on with the public.

    Other good stuff to do is to put some sliced pepperoni (the pizza
    stuff) in and let it cook. Also when using whole tomatos don't forget
    to skin and seed them before throwing them into the sauce. Also
    if you are adding ground beef (hamburger etc) to the sauce then
    cook it in a seperate pan and drain it and also pat it down between
    a couple of paper towels to get rid of most of the grease/juice
    before dumping it into the sauce (it will then absorb some sauce
    and get a good flavor. 

    funny you should ask- I made a batch last night!  Here's how I make
    mine.  I use a crock pot - 2 large cans puree, 1 large can sauce,
    1 medium can paste (these can can be hunts, contadina, etc.) - throw
    that in the crock pot with 1 medium can of water.  Then I cut up
    fresh onion, pepper and garlic (if you like it spicy - use alot)
    -  I add 1 bay leaf, a smidge (no measurement - I eye-ball) - basil,
    oregano, marjoram, parsley, italian seasoning, tyme, then I add
    a pinch of salt and pepper, and a good helping of grated cheese.
    I always make meatballs too - 2 lbs ground beef - same spices as
    above - however I use garlic and onion salt - no bay leaf - 2 eggs
    - breadcrumbs - make up the meatballs - drop them in the sauce (yes
    RAW - they cook overnight and they flavor the sauce and vice versa)
    - 2 hrs on high - 6/8 on low!  Presto - spagetti sauce - spoon off
    the fat!    Oh yeah - IT MAKES GREAT PIZZA SAUCE!!!  

    			<Don't Dump That Juice!>
    
    If you're adding ground beef to your "salsa increible", cook it
    in a separate pan, but don't dump all of the "grease/juice".  Let
    it cool slightly and skim the fat off of the top.  The "juice" that
    is left over is loaded with flavor!!
    
    Ron
    
   

    re .10
    
    Here's my recipe for white clam sauce.
    
    In a skillet, pour 4 tablespoons of oil (I prefer to use a cholesterol
    free oil - you might like another kind), 1 tablespoon butter (or
    margarine), finely chopped garlic to taste, onion juice to taste
    (I take a fresh onion and grate it on a small grater to get the
    juice).  Put over medium heat and cook the garlic for a few minutes
    (be careful not to burn).  Add salt, black pepper, italian seasoning
    and a small amount of dried crushed red pepper.  Pour in a whole
    can of whole baby clams with the juice.  Add about 1/4 cup of white
    wine.  Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.  Cook until fully heated
    and serve over linquine with fresh grated parmesan cheese.  It's
    really very tasty!
    
    Carole
    

    Point of information:  ALL vegetable oils are cholesterol-free.
    
    Granted, not all are polyunsaturated, but no vegetable creates
    cholesterol.  (It's made in the liver.)
    
    					andrew

    That sounds basically like our usual recipe -- we always use olive
    oil.  Sometimes I add a little crushed dried red pepper and/or a
    little bit of heavy cream.  We don't usually serve white clam sauce
    with cheese.  Also, sometimes we add basil and/or oregano - especially
    now when there is lots of basil in the garden.
    
    /Charlotte

Every time I make spaghetti sauce it comes out different, since I usually
use whatever fresh or canned tomato substances I have in the house.

I often jazz up my tomato sauce with other things, such as tuna or artichoke
hearts.  If you use artichoke hearts get the unmarinted ones.  It makes
a interesting sauce.
 

Ruth

    I made a pan of italian chicken. I skinned chicken pieces and lightly
    sauteed them, removed the chicken, sauteed other vegies, and made
    a tmatoe sauce. I returned the chicken to the pan and let it cook.
    It was great. I froze the leftover sauce. When I reheated it and
    served it with pasta. It was really nice, it had a different taste,I
    probably wouln't have been able to figure it out if I didn't know
    where the sauce came from.

    
    
    	Another quick and dirty sauce is Knorr Spaghetti Bolognese.
    This tastes great and is not like a typical sauce. Another advantage
    is that it only takes about 20-25 minutes.
    
    						jim
    

For those who are tired of tomato sauce type of spaghetti sauces:

	4 - 5 Tablespoons good olive oil
	1 small onion
	1 small clove of garlic
	1 or 2 fresh tomatos
	1 cup or so fresh, shelled peas or frozen peas

dice onion and mince garlic.  Dip tomatos (held on a fork) into boiling
water for approx 30 seconds and then slip the skins off.  Chop and seed
the tomato, draining juice.    saute onion and garlic in olive oil
until limp, toss in tomatos and peas and cook just until hot.

Toss with cooked, drained linquini or spaghetti, and dress with a
generous grating of parmesan and romano cheeses.  Voille! You have
dinner.

NOTE:  Sometimes I also throw in steamed broccoli florets for color
	and flavor, adding a little more olive oil as required.

    I'm a new cook, but with an Italian husband I've picked up a delicious
    and quick tomato sauce:
    
    (for 2 people)
    1 Can of whole tomatoes in puree sauce
    1-2 cloves of garlic
    olive oil
    basil
    oregano
    
    
    Coat the sauce pan with olive oil.  On medium-high heat fry diced
    garlic for 30 seconds or so.  Take off heat and turn heat down to
    medium-low.  Put tomatoes and sauce (only if thick puree) in pan, cut
    or mash the tomatoes (not thoroughly, there should be chunks of tomato
    visable) and put in as much basil you like and a touch of oregano.  Put
    back on low heat to simmer.  Let it simmer while your spaghetti is cooking
    mins or so) and when the spaghetti is done so is your sauce.  It is 
    supposed to be a thin sauce and with the chunks of tomato your best bet
    would be to use flat spaghetti. 

    Does anyone have a recipe for a tasty (lots of spices) 
    homemade spaghetti sauce that doesn't contain sausages or 
    lots of cheese?
    
    Thanks.
    
    Gale
    

    
    Gale:
    
    This is the recipe that I use all the time for either spaghetti
    sauce or for lasagna:
    
    Ingredients:
    
    	3/4 lbs ground chuck (or extra lean ground beef)
    	1/2 lbs ground veal
    	3 Tbls finely chopped onion
    	2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
    	2 Tbls finely chopped parsley
    	1 tsp dried oregano leaves
    	1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
    	3/4 tsp salt
    	dash of pepper
    
    Brown the above ingredients in a med size stock pot until the meat
    is cooked completly.
    
    Drain any grease and return to pot.
    
    Add the following ingredients:
    
    	1/4 cup olive oil
    	1/4 cup finely chopped onion
    	1 glove garlic finely chopped (I usually use 2 cloves)
    	2 Tbls finely chopped parsley
    	1 can (1 lb, 12 oz.) whole tomatoes, undrained (3 1/2 cups)
    	2 cans tomato paste (6 oz. size)
    	2 tsp dried oregano leaves
    	1 tsp dried basil leaves
    	2 tsp salt
    	1 tsp garlic powder
    	1/4 tsp pepper
    	1/8 tsp cayenne
    
    Heat all ingredients on Med setting until sauce begins to bubble
    stirring occasionally.  Reduce to low setting and cover with lid
    ajar.  Go to a movie, rent a video, cut the grass, etc... for 4
    to 6 hours.  Upon your return, sauce should be finished and ready
    for the spaghetti!!
    
    Hints:  4 to 6 hours may seem long but the time is worth the results.
    Also, this recipe is easily doubled and I take individual serving
    sizes and freeze in ziplock bags for use later.  Slit the top of
    the bag and nuke it for about 5 min. on med.
    
    Enjoy!!
    
    Bob

    The trick to thick spagetti sauce is to let it cook down till juices
    evaporate.  I've always cooked tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes and
    THAT is the trick.  Also, you can add a small can of tomato paste to
    your recipe to thicken.

    My next door neighbour is Italian and she always uses fresh tomatoes
    and her sauce is out of this world !
    
    Heres what she does.  She skins the tomatoes and puts them in a
    pan and lets them break them (with the help of a spoon), adds some
    finely chopped onion and crushed garlic and then the magic ingrediant,
    olive oil, just enough to cover the top of the pan (it floats when
    first put in).  Then just let it simmer away contentedly for however
    long you want it to.  You can add tomato puree just before the oil.
    Sometimes my next door neighbout does and sometimes she dosen't.
    
    Another thing she does is to put meat cuts into the sauce and cook
    it until the meat is ready.  Then she serves the meat up separately
    and just has the sauce over the pasta.  This is really nice as the
    sauce has just a slight hint of meat flavour in it and the meat
    is lovely and tender.
    
    Marie

    An easy way to skin the tomatoes is to drop them in boiling
    water for about 15-30 seconds and then remove with a small
    strainer.  The skins easily peel off and you can proceed with
    your sauce recipe.

    
    re. 4
    
    There are two ways to skin tomatoes, the first is to boil them as
    in note 4.  The second is to char them this is most effective with
    big fruits/vegetables, such as eggplant.  Either way they should
    be removed from the flame or water and placed in a paper bag, closed
    up tightly for 10 minutes.  The skins literally fall off.
    
    dmh
    

    When making sauce from fresh tomatoes, I very seldom simmer for
    hours, since it tends to make the flavor bitter (to my taste buds,
    anyway :).  You do have to sacrifice thickness, but with fresh tomatoes
    I like to simmer just long enough to break down the flesh, and it
    keeps the flavor fresh and light.  I also seed them before using
    for sauce.  If you have a lot of tomatoes, invest in a seeder/skinner
    and make your own puree. It freezes very well, and you have your
    own fresh tomatoe puree all year 'round!  
    
    Sarah
    

    I agree with Sarah that extended simmering degrades the flavor and
    do not add the tomatoe paste.  To me that makes it even more bitter.  
    I add some chopped carrot to my sauce, then whirl everything in
    the blender before straining.  Since the water content in the tomatoes
    varies from batch to batch, the best thing is to keep stirring and
    simmer over very low heat until you get the consistency you want.
    A combination of plum (Italian) and regular slicing tomatoes can be
    used.  Once my family tasted fresh style sauce we never wanted to go 
    back to the heavy, overseasoned glop.  

    This sauce recipe is my grandmothers that has served my family well
    for years. I always receive rave reviews on my sauce.
    
    
                 1 to 2 pounds pork (I use thick pork chops & cut
                                        the meat off the bones)
                 2-3 sausages cut in thirds (Optional if you don't care
    	                                     for them, but they give
                                             a nice flavor to the sauce)
    		 3 tablespoons of oil
                 1 large onion minced
                 2 Large cans of Pastene Crushed tomatoes ( I think
                                      these are the 1lb & 26 oz. size)
                 1 can of tomatoe paste
                 2 8 oz cans of tomatoe sauce
                 1 Tablespoon dried sweet basil
                 1 tablespoon of sugar (helps cut down on acidy taste from
                                        the tomatoes)
                 3 or 4 bay leaves
                 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper
                 1/2 cup water
    	         Pepper to taste
                       
    
    In a large, 8 qt. sauce pan, brown the meat well in  2 tablespoons
    of oil. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add remaining oil and saute
    onion until transparent. Return meat to the pan, and add remaining
    incredients. Bring ALMOST to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer,
    UNCOVERED, for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Also, if its too
    thick, you can always add a small amount of water (like 1/2 cup)
    but I like my sauce really thick.
    
    
    While the sauce simmers, I make my own meatballs and add those to the sauce
    also. 
    
    This recipe makes a substantial amount so I always have plenty to
    freeze. Also, coming from an ITALIAN HERITAGE, it is considered
    a CARDINAL SIN to eat spaghetti sauce the same day you make it.
    This is a NO, NO!! The sauce needs at least one full day to let
    the flavors meld.....two days are better!
                                
    Enjoy.
    
    Kath
    
    
    

re: .3

a light sauce is made with GOOD quality olive oil (a light dose at most),
FRESH garlic (crushed), lots of fresh, ripe, peeled plum tomatoes, seeded,
and chopped or pressed through a food mill.  The seasoning is light..in
my opinion, if your tomatoes are fresh and ripe, you need simply a whisper
of fresh rosemary or even good quality frozen or dried...but not too much.

simply saute the garlic in the olive oil, not to brown it, but just to
soften it.  Add crushed or chopped tomatoes and heat just to hot - season
with rosemary, salt, and pepper to taste.  Serve with FRESHLY GRATED PARMESAN
to taste over a quality pasta cooked al dente.  Pure heaven.

This is as good as your fruit (tomatoes are fruit as we all know) and I
consider it my favorite sauce.  The lightness comes from no meat and no
tomato paste or sauce.

I just discovered Pastene chuncky-style ground peeeled tomatoes. I
really like the consistency of sauce made with them. For a lighter
sauce, I use the chunky tomatoes, basil, garlic, onions, and mushrooms. I
cook it for an hour at most.

In general, you might want to try some Northern Italian cook books, too.  In 
norther Italy, the sauces are usually much lighter, relying less on tomatoes.
Southern Italian sauces are often heavy on the tomatoes, and benefit from the 
long cooking to thicken the sauce and meld the flavors.

My dad's tomato sauce was always runny compared to most commercial and 
restaurant style sauces.  I learned in the last 10 years that this was a 
regional style, and not a bad recipe.  My preference, though is for the heavy
("sits on top until I mix it in") southern style sauce (called "gravy" in many
southern Italian families), when I user tomato sauce at all.

    My recipe is close o .5.  The only difference is I use basil, fresh if
    possible, in place of rosemary.
    
    While in Italy, I asked our tour guide for the recipe.  This was it
    along with cooking it for approximately a 1/2 hour and then letting it
    sit for a 1/2 hour.
    
    It's a nice light sauce.  The same sauce can be spiced up by adding
    prosciutto, bacon, red pepper, etc.
    
          Flo

    When using fresh basil, how much should you use?  About the same amount
    as if you were going to use dried?
    
    Thanks, Pam

    
    Double, or even triple the amount of fresh basil when substituting for
    dried.  (You _can't_ get too much, as far as I'm concerned.)
    
    Mike.

 Not to answer for Bob, but it sounds like you could stand to let the sauce
simmer a little longer. I usually start my sauce when I get up to feed the baby,
and let it cook all day. I know this is an extreme (but it's worth it). Another
thing you may want to try is canning the sauce instead of freezing it. I like
it much better this way. There's never a problem with the sauce being watery,
for one thing, and you can have food on the table in 15 minutes from a cold
start. Besides, the 1 quart jars are a convenient size for our family.

 Canning is actually quite simple, once you have the requisite equipment. Plus
it saves space in your freezer.

 I like the convenience of having my sauce canned instead of frozen. And tomato
sauce does not require pressure canning, only a water bath for 45-50 minutes.
I'm not sure if the fact that .2's recipe has meat in it will make any 
difference, but my recipe is canned quite easily despite the fact that it uses
lamb shanks for flavor. (The lamb shanks are removed, but the meat falls into 
the sauce and some of it gets through the straining process.)

 The Doctah

    
                        ITALIAN GRAVY (SPAGHETTI SAUCE)
    
    
    4 Cans Plum Tomatoes
    3 stalks celery coarsley chopped (leaves and all)
    3 small carrots coarsley chopped
    4 cloves garlic (add more if you like, I usually do)
    2 medium Onion quartered
    1 Tomatoe Can water
    2 Tablespoons Berrio Olive Oil
    1/4 Cup Parsley
    2 Tablespoons Basil
    1 Cup Grated Romano Cheese
    1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
    
    In pot simmer herbs and vegetables in oil...until onions transparent.
    Add Tomatoes and water and bring to a boil.  Simmer for one hour or
    so, uncovered.  Puree in blender.  Return to stove.  Bring to a boil
    and add baking soda.  That will foam up (make sure you have enough
    room so as it doesn't boil over) and skim the foam off.  This burns the 
    acid off from all the vegetables so that anyone with a problem stomach 
    will be able to eat the sauce without any ill effects.  
    
    Add grated Romano Cheese and raw meatballs.  Simmer for 4 hours
    
    Variations:  Sometimes I may add some baby back ribs and I will put
                 them in in the beginning when I am sauteeing the 
                 vegetables.  I remove all the bones/meat before pureeing
                 in blender.  Remove meat for bones and add to sauce.
    
    	         Other vegetables can be added - zucchini, green peppers,
                 red peppers, eggplant, summer squash.  Once pureed no one 
    		 will know they are in there - especially if they don't
                 _like_ them.
    
                 Sometimes I will ad 1/4 cup red wine after pureeing
    
                 When I add sausage - I boil them separately in a fry
                 pan filled with boiling water.  Pierce the raw sausage
                 so all fat will burn off.  Drain and then add to sauce.
    
    Remember - when making ahead of time - tomatoe sauce can go rancid very
    easily if not refrigerated properly.  Do not let sit on the stove
    or counter to cool.  Remove from burner right away and put in
    the refrigerator.  I usually put a couple of sheets of aluminum foil
    on the shelf in the refrigerator and place the pot on there so as not
    to melt any shelving.  Let cool in there for a couple of hours - then
    place in a Tupperware or storage container and freeze.
    
    Marilyn .4
    

                          SPOLETO SPAGHETTI SAUCE
                          
       4 Tbsp. Olive Oil
       1 lb sweet Italian sausage, cut up
       2/3 lb hot Italian sausage, cut up
       1 lb spareribs, cut into 2" lengths (by the butcher)
       1/2 lb ground beef
       1/2 lb ground pork
       1-1/2 cups diced yellow onions
       5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
       3 cans (35oz each) Italian plum tomatoes
       3/4 cup tomato paste
       1/2 cup red wine
       1 cup chopped Italian parsley
       1 Tbsp. oregano
       1-1/2 tsp black pepper
       salt to taste
       pinch of red hot pepper flakes
       pinch of granulated sugar
       grated zest of 2 lemons
       
       Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Brown the sausages and
       spareribs in small batches. Remove to a heavy casserole. Drain all
       but 3 Tbsp of the grease. Brown ground beef and pork and remove to
       the casserole.

       Add onions and half the garlic to the skillet. Cook over medium
       heat 5 minutes, stirring; add to meat in casserole.

       To casserole, add plum tomatoes (with juice), tomato paste, wine,
       1/2 cup parsley, remaining olive oil, oregano, pepper, salt,
       pepper flakes, sugar and half the lemon zest.

       Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer, partially
       covered, over low heat for 2-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally so
       sauce won't stick to casserole.

       After 2-1/2 hours, add remaining garlic, parsley and lemon zest.
       Stir well and cook, uncovered, an additional hour, stirring
       occasionally.  Adjust seasonings and serve over your favorite
       pasta.

Yield: 4 quarts
       


I've made this several times, with excellent results each time. It's one
of the very few dishes I make that require more than one pan. It's a good
project for a rainy afternoon.

Art

    Another thing that can be done after you slip the skins is cut them in
    half crosswise and squeeze gently removing the seeds and excess
    moisture.  Then chop and continue.  Always add a little sugar to
    tomatoes.

    FWIW, I never add sugar to my tomato sauces.  I also find the store
    bought ones much too sweet.  I also don't bother peeling or squeezing
    the tomatoes.

Here's a recipe for spaghetti sauce that I like.  It's a white clam sauce and 
the only thing light about it is the taste.

			White Clam Sauce

Ingredients:

	4-6 oz. butter or margarine
	2-3 cloves of garlic (chopped or minced)
	1 bunch of scallions (chopped)
	10-14 oz. fresh mushrooms (chopped)
	12 oz. chopped clams with clam juice
	1 pt. heavy cream
	black pepper
	olive oil, oregano, basil, or other spices (to taste)
	corn starch, arrowroot, or flour (to thicken)

On medium heat, melt butter or margarine in a large skillet.  Saute garlic for 
2 minutes, add scallions and saute for an additional 2-3 minutes.  Add the 
mushrooms and make sure they get coated.  The mushrooms will release liquid 
during cooking, so don't go crazy with the margarine or your sauce will end up
greasy.  It will seem like there are too many mushrooms, but have faith, the 
volume will reduce quickly.  Cook for about 5-8 minutes.

If you want to start seasoning the mixture now, go for it.  I usually keep 
adding freshly ground pepper, oregano, and rosemary throughout the cooking 
process, but feel free to experiment.  If you're worried about overspicing...
don't.  I've found it almost impossible to overdo it on this recipe.

Once the musrooms have been coated, add the clams and their juice.  Turn the 
heat up as high as it can go and bring to a boil.  You should reduce your 
mixture by about 1/4 of it's volume.  

After you've reduced your sauce, turn down your heat to medium and add the 
heavy cream.  Let this cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The 
sauce will reduce some more, but it almost always needs thickening.  Use corn 
starch, arrowroot, or a mixture of flour and water.

Once the sauce has thickened, keep it over a low flame and serve hot over
pasta.  Any kind will do, but I usually use angel hair.  Total cooking time is 
about 40-45 minutes and feeds four pretty easily.  You can always halve the 
recipe if you're not feeding that many people or double it if you're having a 
dinner party.  This sauce keeps very well in the refrigerator and will last
forever if you freeze it.

However, I must offer one caveat, this dish is DECEPTIVELY HEAVY, especially if
you use flour to thicken it.  I eat like a horse, and I usually struggle to 
finish seconds...but oh, it's a wonderful struggle.

This is a very good "date" dish.  Serve with a salad, some fresh garlic bread, 
and a good white zinfandel (good inexpensive wine) and voila!...romantic dinner 
for two.

Enjoy,

Wendell

    I decided to make a batch of sauce using fresh tomatoes instead of the
    usual "ground peeled tomatoes with added puree" from a can.
    
    I blanched and skinned them, removed the seeds, cores and the real
    watery/gelatenous stuff surrounding the seeds, mashed 'em and proceeded
    to start cooking...
    
    The color isn't right, or at least it's not "the usual". It's decidedly
    lighter, more orangey than the deep red of canned tomatoes. Comparing
    the color of the fresh tomatoes to the can of tomato paste is like
    night and day.
    
    Is this normal? How come the canned stuff is darker?
    
    Edd

    	Yup, this is normal. I've never quite figured out why either.
    However, when I grew and used Italian plum tomatoes, the sauce was a
    darker red. Could be all the water in your usual, eatin' tomatoes.
    	If you add a little tomato paste, spices, etc. and cook it down for
    a while, it does become darker...but it never seems as dark as when you
    use canned Pastene Italian plum tomatoes.

    Cool, thanks.
    
    For the record, I used plum tomatoes although their ethnic background
    is unknown...
    
    I slow cook my sauce, so I'll report back in a couple days...
    
    Edd

    
    That canned stuff is cooked with the skins, seeds and all, and
    then put through a super strainer.  The nice color comes from
    the skin, just like grapes give wine color if fermented with
    the skins....

    Well, cooking it did make the color almost, if not perfectly, normal.
    
    I can serve it without embarassment now...
    
    Edd