Momma Mia! That's Italia!
By Ann
In my need for 'comfort' food, I decided to make a variation of my Mother's Spaghetti sauce. I recall comi
ng home from school and smelling its fabulous aroma. Makes me hungry and full of warm feelings, just thinking about it.
While shopping for the ingredients, I decide to do it like on a cooking show, or blog and take photos as I go. Others do it, so why can't I?
So, here goes...
Ingredients:
One pound of Angus ground sirloin
One whole brown onion
Carrots
Zucchini, one yellow and one green - sliced or chopped
Mushrooms - sliced
One 14 ounce can of diced tomatos
One 10 oz can of tomato puree
Lemon juice - splash
Spices:
Garlic salt
Oregano leaves
Basil leaves
Parsley leaves
Whole bay leaves - 2 to 4 - to taste.. I use 4 - love bay leaves...
Dry red wine - appoximately one cup... or more...
Brown the ground sirloin, chopped onion, and carrots in skillet. (carrots give it sweetness)
Pour off grease, if there is any. I use quality meat, so there usually isn't much.
Add spices to taste. I am generous as I like it Italiano spicey. Put in Bay leaves whole... but make sure to remove before serving. (Bay leaf edges can cut innards) My Mom told me that and I never forgot.
Add a splash of lemon juice, about a cup of red wine and the cans of diced tomatos and tomato puree. Bring to a bubby simmer then cover and simmer on low for, at least, two hours. So, the spices get all intermingled. I have simmered it as long as all afternoon... the longer the better.
About 30 minutes before serving, add the chopped or sliced zucchini and mushrooms. At this time, I also add a bit more wine and a sprinkling of garlic salt.
Then bring to a boil then back to simmer, then simmer 30 to 45 minutes longer or until the vegetables are soft. There are many varitions, sometimes, I add black olives or artickoke hearts.
Add olive oil to water in a pot and boil spinach noodles, al dente.
Fini! Serve this delight over the spinach noodles and top with a drizzle of Parmesan cheese, accompanied by crusty, buttered, garlic bread, a light salad and dry red wine.
And you will say...
Momma Mia!
That's Italia!
Serves two very generously or four small servings or six really small servings...adjust quantities as desired. And as leftovers, it tastes even better the next day.
In honor of my Mom. I feel close to her when I cook one of her delicious recipes. She would laugh, because even though, she was a really good cook, she didn't like to cook. So, it's interesting that some of my fondest memories of her are around her cooking. "Ah! Oh! Momma Mia! There I go again, how can I forget you!"
A suggestion, on this hot end of the summer weekend, stay inside and make a wonderful dinner... create some kitchen/food memories. So, that someday, when someone, needs some comfort food and memories, they will be there for the taking.
In my need for 'comfort' food, I decided to make a variation of my Mother's Spaghetti sauce. I recall coming home from school and smelling its fabulous aroma. Makes me hungry and full of warm feelings, just thinking about it.While shopping for the ingredients, I decide to do it like on a cooking show, or blog and take photos as I go. Others do it, so why can't I?
So, here goes...
Ingredients:
One pound of Angus ground sirloin
One whole brown onion
Carrots
Zucchini, one yellow and one green - sliced or chopped
Mushrooms - sliced
One 14 ounce can of diced tomatos
One 10 oz can of tomato puree
Lemon juice - splash
Spices:
Garlic salt
Oregano leaves
Basil leaves
Parsley leaves
Whole bay leaves - 2 to 4 - to taste.. I use 4 - love bay leaves...
Dry red wine - appoximately one cup... or more...
Brown the ground sirloin, chopped onion, and carrots in skillet. (carrots give it sweetness)
Pour off grease, if there is any. I use quality meat, so there usually isn't much.
Add spices to taste. I am generous as I like it Italiano spicey. Put in Bay leaves whole... but make sure to remove before serving. (Bay leaf edges can cut innards) My Mom told me that and I never forgot.
Add a splash of lemon juice, about a cup of red wine and the cans of diced tomatos and tomato puree. Bring to a bubby simmer then cover and simmer on low for, at least, two hours. So, the spices get all intermingled. I have simmered it as long as all afternoon... the longer the better.About 30 minutes before serving, add the chopped or sliced zucchini and mushrooms. At this time, I also add a bit more wine and a sprinkling of garlic salt.
Then bring to a boil then back to simmer, then simmer 30 to 45 minutes longer or until the vegetables are soft. There are many varitions, sometimes, I add black olives or artickoke hearts.Add olive oil to water in a pot and boil spinach noodles, al dente.
Fini! Serve this delight over the spinach noodles and top with a drizzle of Parmesan cheese, accompanied by crusty, buttered, garlic bread, a light salad and dry red wine.
And you will say...
Momma Mia!
That's Italia!Serves two very generously or four small servings or six really small servings...adjust quantities as desired. And as leftovers, it tastes even better the next day.
In honor of my Mom. I feel close to her when I cook one of her delicious recipes. She would laugh, because even though, she was a really good cook, she didn't like to cook. So, it's interesting that some of my fondest memories of her are around her cooking. "Ah! Oh! Momma Mia! There I go again, how can I forget you!"
A suggestion, on this hot end of the summer weekend, stay inside and make a wonderful dinner... create some kitchen/food memories. So, that someday, when someone, needs some comfort food and memories, they will be there for the taking.
Posted by Ann at 8/20/2010 8:00 AM 
Categories: THE KITCHEN EXPLODES
Tags: Italian food Mama Mia cooking mother's recipes Meryl Streep spaghetti comfort food sauce
Categories: THE KITCHEN EXPLODES
Tags: Italian food Mama Mia cooking mother's recipes Meryl Streep spaghetti comfort food sauce
Looks delicious. Makes me hungry!
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Yum, that sounds really good.
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Thanks Sandra!
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You are fortunate to have those memories.
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Yes. I am.
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Ann I need to come down to Texas and have dinner with you lol.
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Yum! Can I get an invite next time? I don't think I'm patient enough to cut up all the ingredients!
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Sure,Amy.. but only if you chop the veggies... LOL! It only takes a second, silly...
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Everyone keeps asking if my Mom was Italian.. and she wasn't .. she was a great Southern cook.. who didn't really like to cook, but everything she made was delicious...
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Everytime I see this I get hungry!
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Right on.
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Ann,
I remember Mom's spaghetti too, one of my favorites to smell and eat. She would be proud of you adding different ingredients and putting your own signature on it. delicious!
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Thanks D.D.
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D.D. Remember coming home to the aroma of roast beef, vegetable souo and hot tamale pie?
That was that best!
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I am going to try this recipe. Looks great!
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Makes me realize how important my cooking is to my family. Thanks.
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I will be making this soon.
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When I was married and had a stepdaughter, she had a friend over for dinner. I was cooking away and the little friend came in and starred at me wide-eyed. She commented, "I have never seen this before."
I asked, "What, do you mean?"
And she said, "My Mom never does this. She just puts stuff in the micorwave or we go out."
I have never seen a child enjoy meal so much.
And her family lived just around the corner, I think both were attorneys.
I rarely use the microwave and because of memories of my Mom's cooking, I realized the importance and comfort that this brings to a child.
Also, sitting around the dinner table and talking WITH NO cellphones, TV or computer gadgets.. just talking is a wonderful way to make real connections with your children and each other.
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I am sick of kids beings on their gadgets all the time.
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Looks delicious and meal time can be such an important time for family to be together.
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You did a great job writing and illustrating the recipe. It is very interesting to see all the ingredients you use. I would love to taste it.
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It’s really a great post..I would like to appreciate your work and I am going to recommend it to my friends.Thanks for sharing.
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Great post I must say.. Simple but yet entertaining and engaging.. Keep up the good work!
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This recipe looks delicious! And I great presentation.
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This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing websites that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free.
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Look fab!
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God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat. He has no real style. He just goes on trying other things. ~Pablo Picasso
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