T h e D i sh
La Salsa di Nonna: La famiglia di Padovano Contributed by the women of the Italian Festa, Shelley Duke and Elizabeth Ricci.
The following is Grandma Spinosa’s award winning spaghetti sauce recipe. Phil, Eileen and Kathy Padovano made this sauce in preparation for the CIAO! “Sauce Off” Competition in Tallahassee. It won first place in the top two categories: Most Authentic and The People’s Choice. It is a long process, but well worth the effort; it is truly delicious! We hope that you will enjoy making this special Italian sauce for your families as much as we have!
Ingredients: Sauce 4 fatty, thick pork chops or other fatty pork piece Garlic (several cloves) Good olive oil 1 small can of tomato paste 1-2 diced onions 2-3 diced carrots 4 cans (28 oz.) of good Italian crushed tomatoes (we use Cento brand from Publix) 2 cans of good Italian whole tomatoes (Cento brand)—optional 28 oz. of water Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, bay leaves (2-3)
Meatballs 2 lbs. of ground chuck (don’t buy the leanest meat) Garlic (run through a press)—at least 4-6 cloves Salt, pepper White bread softened with milk 2 eggs Parmesan cheese Parsley—minced (use fresh if you have it)
Directions: Sauce • Cover the bottom of a large frying pan with good olive oil. Add several cloves of sliced garlic, but remove them before they burn. 40 t a l l a h a s s e e
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• F e b r u a r y / M a rc h 2012
Brown pork chops on each side; remove from pan. Add one can of tomato paste and one can of water to the oil/ pork chop drippings. Cook on low heat and stir thoroughly until the mixture is smooth and has reduced to a nice consistency. Set aside. • Sauté the onion and the carrots (make sure these pieces are diced) until soft and tender. Add minced garlic last; do not let it turn brown—will take less than a minute. Then, add the crushed tomatoes, the paste mixture, and the whole tomatoes (optional). If you use the whole tomatoes, be sure to put them through a strainer before they go in the sauce so that the seeds don’t go in. Add one 28 oz. can of water. The sauce should be almost up to the top of a large stock pot at this point. Then, add spices (Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, bay leaves). • Add the pork chops and the meatballs (see next page) to the sauce. Simmer on very low heat for at least four hours, stirring frequently. (Do not burn.) • Remove the pork (discard the bones) and meatballs; put in a serving bowl. Note: You can also use Italian sausage in this recipe instead of or in addition to the other meats. Partially fry or bake the sausage before you add it to the sauce to simmer.