Recipe(tried): Joel's Magic Tomato Meat Sauce - Here's my Secret... Real Italian Sauce..

Here's my Secret... Real Italian Sauce...

For years I had been trying to perfect my tomato sauce for pasta. Now many Italians will argue about how they like their sauce. Some prefer it very thin and runny... and then others perfer it very thick and meaty. I prefer the later.

In any case, let me explain a couple of the reasons I prepare the ingredients the way I do and then from there you can decide for yourself if you would prefer it one way or another.

First off, I place whole cloves of garlic with the papers removed in to the sauce right from the beginning. I know that it may sound like a large amount of garlic however, as the garlic simmers in the sauce over the hour or so it will become very mellow, sweet and nutty, while giving the sauce a very faint hint of garlic. I prefer it this way instead of crushing or pressing garlic since, when you do this, the sauce develops a pungent garlic flavor and it will be very acidic. I like my tomato sauce to have a robust tomato flavor instead of the garlic taking the spotlight. Another reason I place the whole cloves of garlic into the sauce is that sometimes not everyone appreciates garlic and this way the pieces are large enough to be removed when eating.

It may initally look like I use a lot of onions but as they simmer the liquids will evaporate and you will be surprised how they cook down, I promise it will be just right. The onions also add "the sugar" that helps sweeten the sauce.

Now the "Special" ingredient is ... shhh.... pork neck bones. I had an elderly Italian woman tell me once that they were the "magic" in her sauce. And after I tried it at home my companion, who's family is straight from Italy, told me that he remembered his Grandmother making the sauce just like that and how good it was and he had totally forgotten how she had done it. He also remembered that as a child they would fight over the bones in the sauce since the pork neck bones always had bits and pieces of meat on them. I have kind of updated the recipe, and I don't leave the bone in the sauce, but I do remove the meat pieces from the bones and then replace it back into the sauce. The pork neck bones can usually be found at your butchers shop for .50 per pound or in a local grocery store in the meat section depending upon whether or not they do their own meat cutting. The bones add a depth and richness to the sauce I just can't explain, and then add the meat... WOW!!!! It is very economical if you go for the pork neck bones since they are like chicken backs, they are usually used for stock and some places would just throw them out. But trust me, they are worth so much more in the sauce than they are priced in the store!!! You can also use pork ribs or beef ribs but if you go this way it will become a lot more expensive.

If you don't want to use the wine, go ahead and skip it, but always remember to use only a quality wine that you would be willing to drink a glass with your meal.

Now when I make this sauce... I usually make a large amount...since this sauce freezes incredibly well... and to just pull out a frozen meat sauce when your short on time... all thats required is a microwave to thaw... and the time to cook the pasta!!! Now that's convienience!

Finally... if you choose to add any additional herbs like fresh parsley, fresh basil or fresh mint, add them at the end of your simmering... and right before you serve. It will keep the flavors fresh.

Here's the recipe...

Joel's "Magic" Tomato Meat Sauce
Recipe By : Joel La Force
Serving Size : 4

3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large sweet onions, sliced into half-moons
2 cups mushrooms, quartered and sliced
7 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 pounds pork neck bones
2 (28 oz) cans crushed or chopped tomatoes in puree
1/2 cup dry red wine
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons accent seasoning mix (optional)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Place the 3 tablespoons of butter and the olive oil into a large saute pan. Once the oil has been brought to a medium heat, throw the onions, mushrooms, whole garlic, and pork neck bones into the pan. Saute for about 10-15 minutes.

Add the chopped/crushed tomatoes along with 1/2 cup of dry red wine, salt and pepper, accent and cayenne. Allow to simmer on low heat for about 1 hour. Stir the sauce every now and then to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. After about an hour of simmer, the sauce should be reduced, thick and intensified.

Remove the pork neck bones from the sauce and spread them out on a cookie sheet to allow to cool. Once cooled, carefully to pull off the small pieces of meat, and then return the meat to the sauce.

Serving Ideas : Use over pasta or with Rollatini.

NOTES : I place aluminum foil over the top of the pot and then use a really sharp knife to "tap" little triangular shaped holes into the foil. I make a lot of the holes since I want evaporation to occur and not just have the liquids to condense on the foil. This will allow the moisture to escape as well as prevent too many splatters from going all over. I hate trying to clean up tomato splatters so instead of saying simmer for an hour with out the lid I do this little trick with the foil and it makes clean up a whiz!!!