Anthony's Sauce Talk, Italian Recipe Discussions" Copyright © 1998-2008 All rights reserved.

Sauce Talk... Here, I have placed some of my email correspondence in regards to my recipes that may answer a lot of questions and give you some good tips along the way... and the best part is they're just plain fun to read! Good Italian food really brings back so many wonderful memories! Goderlo Tutto! (Enjoy it all) ...back to the front page please

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Buon giorno, Anthony! Just found your site around 10 p.m. -- it's now 3 a.m. and after writing you, I need to get to sleep! Your website was so interesting and FANTASTIC! I am a first generation Italian-American and for the most part have the recipe repitoire -- but there are still some things missing! Your website brought back so many great family times, cooking together, dancing while the sauce was simmering away, waiting for that batch of cookies to emerge from the oven....your detailed descriptions are right on the money of the true Italian family! I especially loved your recipe of the anisette Christmas cookies. As soon as I saw the picture I immediately said to myself, "oh no, he's got the wrong sprinkles!" I had to laugh even harder when reading your recipe and the note you put at the bottom about your mom!!! When I first made these with Nonna, she sent me to the store for some ingredients and the sprinkles were on the list. I came back with the same ones in your picture and boy did she get all over me about this! Those Italian grannies surely are sweet but they can get pretty hot, too!!! Gosh, the memories! Thanks for refreshing them with your narratives! What I was hoping to find there is a cookie recipe which EVERY Italian family makes. Like a lot of Nonna's, as I am finding out more and more about, there are just some recipes they just do not want to give up and take their secrets with them to their grave!!! What's up with that??!! I was fortunate enough to have my dad's mom write most all -- did you get that, "most"!!! -- of her recipes down and those that she did not, I would run into her bathroom and sit in there writing down whatever I could of what she (or we) just made. The recipe I am looking for is a cookie. They are VERY, VERY buttery, yellow in color which I am not sure is from the egg yolks or if they put food color in them. EVERY Italian bakery sells them, too. They are piped out, you know, with a pastry bag, and they have ridges which I assume is from the tip used with the bag. They then have the NONPARIELS (ha-ha-ha!) on them, or half a cherry in the center, or some chocolate "sprinkles" (yes, NOT the nonpariels but the actual sprinkles), or they have mini chocolate chips mixed in the batter. I've tried EVERYTHING and have looked everywhere for this recipe and cannot find it or find an Italian grannie who will give it up! I've even taken a job at an Italian bakery with the hopes of getting the recipe but, NO!!! Also, there are the "s" cookies. Surely,, you've had those! The ones I'm looking for the recipe on are pink and yellow...if memory serves me correct, the pink were cherry and the yellow were lemon. I believe I have he recipe for these but am not 100% sure. So, my friend, would you happen to have either of these in your collection or memory bank? Would truly appreciate it if you did and would share it. Keep up the site, and YES, YES, YES, you really do need to put a cookbook together! Hope to hear back from you soon! Ciao, Linda ... click Here for more sauce talk with Linda..., there is "much" more to this story and Linda sent in cool recipes too! Oh, and there's even photos of my grandparents in this conversation as well! :-)

Hi Anthony! Today is Easter Sunday and we followed your sausage bread recipe exactly and it was delicious. We have been trying to duplicate our grandmother's recipe for years...but she took the secret to the grave with her...but your recipe revived the spirit and tradition...we are sure to try your other recipes. We are NJ Italians who love to cook..eat ..and talk about eating Ciao, Ken, ...P.S. I make my own sausage...another good secret of nona! Ken, Hi, I just discovered your email in my junk mail folder, evidently my outlook thought that you were spam. Thanks for the photos! :-) Sausage bread is just something special! :-) "cook..eat ..and talk about eating..Ciao." AH yes, this is what Italian do best!!! I am very glad to see a tradition revived! You have to share the LOVE and keep the tradition going. Very important! .... OK, I have your wonderful pix up on the site now :-) Feel free to send a bunch more of all the cooking fun if you make the other recipes. It’s pretty special when you get your recipes back from days of old. You MUST keep family tradition going! I too had a Nana, (That's what we called her), but she was the great grandmother from Italy who spoke no English at all. My grandma Salerno moved to US from Italy when she was in her 20’s (maybe late teens) and sometimes the Italian speaking would back. I just olve the Italian language, don't know it, but want to learn. Have an amazing day and thanks again for the great photos. Looks like you have a wonderful happy family. THE WAY IT SHOULD BE! Share the love! Ciao, ~8-) Anthony

Hi Anthony! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have been trying to get even close to my mother-in-law's recipe for 12 years now and thanks to your recipe my husband said I finally did it! I am not italian, but my husband is 100%. He said our house on Sunday (while I was cooking) smelled just like his house did when he was growing up. The sauce was outstanding and my meatballs actually stuck together. Your technique for cooking the sausage actually made the sausage taste better than my mother-in-law's and that came from my husband! My husband was so darn proud and his belly was stuffed. Thank you for your super easy to follow recipe! Sincerely, Laura Seidita Laura, Hi! I'm so glad I could help you out :-) I can TOTALLY understand were your husband is coming from. There is just nothing like Italian cooking you use to get from your mom and your grandmom, all the memories the smells bring back, the good times the shared love the good food, it's all just wonderful! WOW! The sausage came out better than your mother-in-laws who is 100% Italian? Well I will definitely take that as a compliment. But really, all the thanks has to go to my Grandma Salerno, My Mom and my Mother-In-Law Rose who is Italian as well, um excuse me, I mean Sicilian ;-) My recipe really is a culmination of all their recipes, although they almost all made their sauce the same way. Getting the meatballs to stick together, stay firm, yet oh so tender, is definitely an art. I tried hard to get each step spelled out. Hard work doing that. Well, tell your husband Anthony says hi and that I'm glad he can now have his childhood sauce :-) Priceless is what it is, priceless! Ciao, ~8-) Anthony

Hi Anthony! Many, many thanks for the great recipe! My Sicilian ex-mother-in-law's sauce to a T!!!!!! I've been trying to make this sauce for 20 years. She only showed me once when I was a young and inexperienced cook (wanted to make sure my ex-husband ate the same way as at his Mama's house!). This 40-something, white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant cook (experienced and loving it now!) finally got it right, thanks to you! My kids (18 and 16, being half-Sicilian) have been begging me to make Grandma's sauce for 14 years (since my divorce). Again, thanks to you, I made them very, very happy yesterday! Them, my son's girlfriend, my daugther's boyfriend, my son's best friend, and my new husband. We're originally from Detroit living in Northwest Alabama now (not much Italian food, restaurants or cooking down here...it's good ole country cookin' here, but hey, that's good too, just not everyday!). With the large population of Italians in Detroit, I grew up with many Italian friends, dated quite a few (my cousins did too...something about those Italian men!), and ate many a great home cooked Italian meal with friends and then my in-laws (love the Christmas Eve feast of the 7 fishes...may try that this Christmas Eve since I've mastered the sauce...FINALLY!). My husband thought he'd died and gone to heaven...he kept me company in the kitchen all day and we shared a lovely bottle of Chianti in the process (I've turned him into a wine lover and he loves to watch me cook...it's my hobby and other than him, my true love!). I doubled the recipe (wanted a lot leftover for tonight...you're right, the sauce is better the next day), and with feeding a 6'4", 220 lb. husband and 5 teenagers, I needed a lot!!!! The kids' friends will be here for dinner again tonight, and my husband said he's not eating lunch today so he can enjoy more tonight! Thank you sooooo much...I will definitely be making this over and over again. Our new friends here in Alabama keep saying I need to open a restaurant or catering business (I've introduced them to finer things in life, such as GARLIC!!!!!)...wait until they get a taste of this! Would you happen to have a recipe for Cassata Cake? Love cannoli's, but of course can't find them here and I don't know if I'm quite up to making them from scratch, but love the cake. If not, does your grandmother or mom have a recipe for cannoli's???? Thanks again, and here's to puttin the love into your cooking! Becky Hill Hi Becky, WoW! Sounds like you had some fun with the sauce :-) You know, it's just not the same if you have sauce that you did not slave over all day and was not consumed within the home that it was cooked in all day long. There is something magical to the whole process. I am honored that I could help you bring that special grandma sauce to your kids. It took me a long time to get each and every step just right to nail it down to my grandmas sauce taste. The main thing I learned is that there is NO cutting corners. Good sauce takes time and much effort and LOVE! Sorry to hear you don't have good Italian food down there in Alabama, but the good news is now you can make it yourself! WooHoo! I must agree that Garlic is one of the finer things in life for sure. WoW! Yeah, feeding a large husband and 5 teenagers... you better have enough food for sure. This recipe does satisfy, especially when you double it. Sometimes I double the sauce recipe but triple the meatballs. They do seem to go very fast! Sorry, I don't have a recipe for Cassata Cake, oh but that IS good stuff. Same with Canolli, don't have a recipe for that, but I have been meaning to tackle that. There is NOTHING like a FRESH Canolli. The one I remember I like best is with the Pistachio and Chocolate ships in the filling and the light and crispy shell, Oh man... no I must go find a Canolli! If you think of it and are not shy about photos, I would love to have more photos for my visitors photo section of the site. It's so much fun getting photo's from others enjoying the Italian culinary experience :-) So maybe next time you tackle the sauce with Braciole and Meatballs you could maybe snap a few shots for me?? But no pressure.. Happy cooking and share the LOVE!it :-)! Ciao, ~8-) Anthony

Hello Anthony! Thank you for posting your pasta sauce recipe. This weekend I purchased some nice braciole and sausage on Arthur Ave in the Bronx and wanted to make "gravy" like my mom's. Your ingredients were the closest I could remember to my mom's so I used your list (added my home made meatballs). I did simplify the process though, after browning the meats and sauteeing the garlic and onions I threw everything in the pan at once, like my mom used to (except the fresh parsley). Also, I used country back pork ribs instead of pork chops because I like the way the meat on the ribs shreds. The gravy came out great, just like mom's. I couldnt ask my mom for her recipe because she has dementia, but to make conversation, I asked her what she used to put in her gravy (like you, she said pork chops, not ribs!) but when she was naming the other ingredients she struggled for a minute and said "sunshine". I'm still trying to figure out how to incorporate that secret ingredient!!! Karla Hi Karla, Glad I could help you get back to that recipe the way it should be ? I believe that Sunshine would translate to LOVE! You have to pour a lot of love into the cooking, this is what always made grandma Salerno’s recipe so wonderful, it was all the love she poured into the sauce while laboring over it all day long. The satisfied look on her families faces were all the reward she needed. I never have tried the Pork Ribs, sounds like it would definitely add some nice flavor though. I’m going to try that out next time I make the sauce. Happy cooking and happy times and don't forget the Sunshine!! :-) Ciao, ~8-) Anthony

Anthony I'm sure you've had similar comments, but I also have a question. First of all, reading your recipe reminded me of all the times I "helped" my Grandmother in Chicago make "her" spaghetti sauce -- good memories, great aroma and just good being Italian--- then my brother and I took over and added wine and Italian bread -- that is, I made the sauce, while he and I drank the wine and ate Italian bread. Now, I travel to all of our kids' homes with my "Italian spice" box and they have already purchased the fresh and canned ingredients, so we can continue the tradition, except I make about 5 gallons or so at each house, for freezing, until the next trip. I finally wrote down the recipe for them this year -- as time is passing, of course. Your website brought back so many of those memories, as I only have one Uncle left from that generation and I am the last of mine -- so my sons will continue with the tradition. But I'm curious, what made you decide to create this website -- I was waiting to find out where you "sell" your sauce or something else and I didn't find that. Or maybe I have to go to the Cookbooks, haven't been there yet. I'm beginning to sell my sauce, locally although I've given it away for years and the world seems to come to our house to eat, but it's getting expensive. Actually I was looking for pricing when I found your site and really enjoyed it -- hopefully you will be able to answer my questions, but if not, I certainly have enjoyed your website. Thanks -- Maureen (I know, I know it's not Italian, but my mother was Raffaella Filomena Carmela Carboni de Lacasio. I think I qualify!!!!!! Maureen Maureen, HI, nice to hear from you. WoW! My mom’s name is also Raffaella, Nick name now is Rae. Raffaella Salerno. You know, I don’t believe I know my Mom’s middle name. Oh that’s horrible, I’m going to have to ask her. I probably knew at one time but it has slipped my mind I guess. My Grandfathers name was Luigi Regueiro Salerno. I’ve actually been working on adding a whole separate grandparents section to the site. I have a detailed family tree on my Italian site with photos and all kinds of great history, going to add that and maybe have an area where people can add information about their Italian grandparents. So many great memories! In regards to your question about how I came about to make my recipe website. Well, it all started about 7 years ago I think. My Dad always LOVED my Grandma Salerno’s sauce. My Dad is on the Irish side and he defiantly cannot cook spaghetti sauce! Well my parents go divorced a long time ago and my Dad really missed that sauce. I knew how to make it because I always asked my grandma and mom a lot of questions about Italian cooking and I helped them cook too. So a took a full Sunday and pain-stakingly wrote down every step of the process. The hardest part was getting the measurements right because grandma Italian cooks don’t measure.. they put.. they taste, they put some more and that’s how you do it! So after getting all this written down in detail I just made a quick webpage and emailed my Dad. He was able to recreate the sauce he remembered on the first try!! Then I forgot about the page and one day went back to it and noticed that there were many people actually visiting the page! Huh… I said. Hmmm…. Maybe I should put some more recipes on here and add some photos.. hmm…. So I did that and have been having great fun with the site ever since. The thing I like best about this website is all the lovely emails I get from people and the great memories that are shared. Like you said “good memories, great aroma and just good being Italian”. People have strong memories of these special family times with the grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles… Such great times! I remember large dinners with MANY family members there and sit down dinners that would last for 5 hours! The multiple course meals where my favorite. So much shared at the table. Wonderful times! Every time I cook the sauce with meatballs and braciole and sausage and the house gets saturated with that wonderful smell, I am taken back to my childhood and the great times with my family. This is what makes Italian cooking so special. Sell the sauce? Oh I couldn’t, it needs to be enjoyed in the home it was cooked in. There needs to be time to be welcomed in the home, have some nice antipasto and some wine, enjoy the aroma of the sauce cooking and then dive into the fresh pasta and hot sauce right from the pot. Sauce from a jar, well… It’s just wrong. ;-) ... Anyway, I could ramble on for a while. Must get back to work. Nice to hear from you. If you ever get a hankering to take photos of your Italian cooking fun send ‘em on over and I will throw them up on the site in the Visitors Photo section. Having great fun with that. Happy Times! …Share the LOVE!)! Ciao, ~8-) Anthony

Hi Anthony! I read with great delight your Braciole and Meatball Recipes. I have been married to (my Anthony) 38 years come April and had the privilege to learn my mother-in-law’s recipe years ago before she passed away. She had made the above for over 50 years and made it the way her mother did before her. No recipe for this Italian lady! For the most part your recipe was dead-on for the Braciole except I use flank steak (not round steak or London broil) in my gravy. When it has cooked in the gravy it just is so tender. When I used to cook for four (we are empty nesters, now) and no matter how many rolls I made they barely made it to leftovers (there was just never enough)! As for your meatballs, again oh, so close. I understand you using pork chops and my recipe differs slightly from yours. I use 2 to 1 ratio of ground chuck and ground pork instead. I also use only Romano (freshly grated) instead of Parmesan. What I find amazing after all these years is that my sisters-in-law never took the time to learn Mom’s recipes and I can taste the difference whenever they serve pasta dishes and my husband always tells me when we get home from one of these gatherings that Mom’s gravy (the way I make it) is the best. Keep on cooking and you are so right -> there is never enough garlic! Virginia Virginia, HI… 38 years of marriage! That is so awesome! I’m on year 17 with my Cynthia (as of 09/01/07) and it just keep on getting better! :-) I have the same scenario on my end, My Mom made the same sauce my grandma made and my grandma made the same sauce her Mom made, so it’s been in the family for a long time. I have made some subtle tweaks here and there, but mostly have kept the same traditions going. I will have to try out the flank steak. I never really did find out for sure what type of meat my grandma Salerno used for her Braciole. She always went to the local butcher to get her meat. My local butcher is Super Wal-Mart, hardly a comparison.. ugh! Empty nesters huh… At present we are four, my boys are 9 and 12 (as of 04/17/07) , I can’t imagine life without them in the home, trying to enjoy every moment with them. If you’re not laboring over the sauce all day long it’s just not sauce/gravy! It’s not even close! No pain, no gain. There are no shortcuts when it comes to good Sauce, meatballs and braciole. Thanks for sharing. Happy cooking, happy times and keep on sharing the love! Tell your sister she needs to learn how to make the sauce right! Ciao, ~8-) Anthony AnThony, I guess I learned from “a master” because my mother-in-law in her later years used to send me to fetch the flank steak from her butcher in Berwyn that was closer to my house than hers. The butcher was on notice (and any butcher in any grocery store today can do this) to slice the flank steak no less that ¼” & no more than ½” thick. All you have to do then is slice the width you want to roll and add cheeses and seasonings before rolling and tying. I cannot explain it but flank steak when cooked in gravy exudes a rich and very special flavor to the gravy that I cannot (nor do I want to) replicate with any meat. My family KNOWS when I try to make it on the “cheap” w/o the flank steak. The other thing I wanted to tell you and failed to in the first email…If you are happy with the cooked results and have any flank steak left over (which I rarely do with this family), you must freeze it separately from the sauce. One of the fondest memories my girls have while growing up is the Italian bread…once the gravy had been simmering for about three hours it was bread dipping time! We would spoon out bits at a time and dip the sliced bread and we all KNEW when the gravy was done. I can’t wait to share this with my two newest granddaughters 4 yrs. & soon to be 18 months old. Last but not least, August is the best month to make gravy because of the wonderful fresh tomatoes here in Illinois (just remember to drain the excess liquid from the fresh tomatoes before cooking them down).! Virginia

Hi Anthony - Thank you for a GREAT recipe!!! For the past 4 years my 3 older brothers and I have held an annual meatball contest inviting over 60 family and friends. Each year I have not won and this year I almost didn’t enter until I found your recipe on-line. What sold me on your recipe was your enthusiasm, passion and love for the recipe and the recommendation on using Hunts tomato sauce. My father’s family is all Italian and my grandmother always used Hunts so I knew this was going to be a winning recipe and it was. The addition of the braciole, Italian sausage and the pork chops definitely added a lot to the overall flavor. I just wanted to email you and say thank you for posting your family recipe. You made the process fun and easy, all the way from the itemized grocery list to the pictures with commentary. I was proud to serve my dish thanks to your recipe. When they said I was the winning meatball I was so happy, it felt so good to win and put that medal around my neck. In my acceptance speech I gave you all the credit. Thank you again. Christine E. Stambaugh Hi Christine, IWoW! How cool is that, THE WINNING MEATBALL! WooHoo!! I know that's a very big deal indeed! Congratulations! I am glad I was able to help you our with the recipe. I have to give all the credit to my grandma Salerno, My Mom and My mother in-law, they all suffered through my many questions about thier cooking and most of all shared their passion for the food and for thier family that really makes it all taste so good!!! Thanks for sharing the good news. Happy cooking and share the love always! Turn off the TV and have a nice 5 hour meal with your family, there is nothing better!!! Ciao, ~8-) Anthony

Hi Anthony! I am currently involved with an Italian man... I would love to know what you think is the perfect red wine... I am not a big wine drinker mainly because I have never been exposed to it... but I don't want to look as ignorant as I am to him... also... what would you say is the most popular italian dish to prepare... Thanks!! Renee Renee, So sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you. I have been so swamped with work, I've had no time to breathe!!! Now let's see, the perfect wine... That would be an easy one for me: A nice Italian Red "Bolla - Valpolicella" You can buy this online here. However, you should be able to find this at your local upper scale grocery store. ...and as far as the classic Italian meal, you must go for the whole Spaghetti Sauce, Meatballs, Sausage and Braciole. That will knock him flat if you go all the way and make the whole full blown sauce with all the meats, because only Italian granmom's can achieve this! He will be putty in your hands!!! Trust me! :-) Good louck with your man, may you capture his heart. Hope this helps. Happy cooking, happy times.! Ciao, ~8-) Anthony

Hi Anthony! While looking for something entirely different, Google brought me to your website. How wonderful it is! What wonderful memories welled up from inside of me as I read through your recipes - especially the "Grandma’s tips" I am a Catholic priest (31 years I am proud to say!). My Dad was born in Apricena, Italy and immigrated with his mother, father, his sister and three brothers to the States in the early 1900's. The family settled in Chicago. Four more brothers were born in Chicago. Nonno (Grandpa) worked in the Union stockyards as a meat trimmer. Dad grew up and became a tailor. He eventually moved to Indiana for work. It was there that he met my Mom and they married. I was born a few years later. Uncharacteristically, I was their only child (but that is a whole other story). Not long after Mom and Dad got married, Mom (not an Italian) was sent off to Chicago to learn how to cook proper Italian meals from my Nonna (Grandmother). Even after I came along, Dad was insistent that I experience the same kind of Italian household that he had experienced growing up. So when I was old enough (probably ten or so) I was shipped off every summer to Chicago. There I not only got to know all of my aunts, uncles and cousins, but I also discovered the world of Nonna’s kitchen. And what a wondrous world it was. Nonna and Nonno lived in a duplex on the near south side of Chicago. I can still see it in my mind. They lived on the first floor and my Uncle Nick and Aunt Sis lived on the second floor. The first floor had a small parlor which opened to a huge dining room and tiny kitchen with a large stove. In the center was a tremendously long table (or so it seemed to a ten year old!). Every Sunday the entire family (Nonna, Nonno, aunts and uncles, cousins, and frequently a few guests) would gather around this table. I remember that on Saturday Nonna would spend the day making pasta. By Saturday evening it seemed like there was nowhere in the house where you wouldn’t find pasta hung to dry. Nonna’s stove seemed to always have a pot of sauce slowly simmering on the back burner. The sauce was filled with meatballs, braciole, and Nonno’s special sausage that he made. It was a bit different than the kind of Italian sausage you find in the markets today. I could never figure out why until I finally visited my Dad’s home town in Italy and discovered that it was a special sausage made only in that area. Then there were those special days when Nonno would bring home from work a pork roast which would go into the sauce. After slowly simmering in the sauce that roast was heavenly! (Pork rules in Italian cooking!) On Sundays everyone would get up and go to Mass. We dressed in our finest and walked the two blocks to church. After Mass we would come home and gather around the huge table. Then this great event, the Sunday meal would begin. I would guess that we probably sat down around noon and the adults didn’t get up from the table until around 5.00! Nonna and my aunts would serve the antipasto first. We would linger over it talking (or maybe should I say almost screaming?). Then after awhile Nonna would drop the "spaget"- as we called it - into the water. She turned it into two huge bowls and sauced it with that wondrous sauce that mysteriously simmered on the stove... There is MUCH more From Father Thomas Lombardi...... ... click Here for more sauce talk with Father Thomas Lombardi, there is more to this story!

Hi Anthony! I'm a 69 year old WASP who was brought up in the midwest and didn't even know what spaghetti was until I was 16. Then I moved to Rhode Island. I married another WASP and lived there until I was 32 and during that time we ate some pretty darn good Italian food. My wife is a great cook. Some of her veal dishes surpass many Italian restaurants in Metro Atlanta where we now live, but I was told her that her spaghetti sauce never measured up to the Rhode Island sauces. I've been saying that for over forty years. About a week ago I discovered your site. Last Tuesday we bought a thick bottom pan and yesterday I cooked the meatballs and sauce. I could tell it looked, smelled and tasted like Rhode Island. Tonight we ate. But first I invited a Succi over because I wanted a real Italian food critic. He gave me an A+. My wife even said it was the best sauce she had ever eaten and she ate more food tonight than in months. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes. By the way the garlic bread was also outstanding! Dave Whitehead Hi Dave, I am so glad to share my family recipe with you and glad it measured up the the Rode Island standard :-) Also glad it made the grade with Succi :-) Grandma Salerno would be proud that I have kept her food going for all to share the love with! Once you've had the real deal, you are ruined! Great decision getting the thick bottomed pan, that really makes a difference!!! ... Oh, by the way... I learned a deep dark secret just about a month ago when talking with my Mom about Grandma's cooking. I found out she used Salt Pork!!!!! I did not know this! I went 42 years without knowing this grandma secret!!! Here is a sneak peek at the process: So what you do with the salt pork is, you first buy a chunk of it. about 5"x5"x1-1/2", be sure to trim off the hard skin that will be on one side of the chunk, then you chop up the salt pork into the smallest pieces you can. Then fry 'em up in a pan and get them brown and crispy, drain them on paper towel, be sure to snack on some while your cooking.. "delicious!!!". After this little bits dry, take a large knife and chop up the bits even smaller, kinda like bacon bits, that's the stuff you will add to the braciole filling. When you brown your meatballs and braciole meat be sure to brown them in the salt pork fat. Oh momma mia, getting hungry just thinking about it :-) Happy Times and happy cooking and SHARE THE LOVE!!! :-) Ciao, ~8-) Anthony Hi Anthony! I'm getting bold and ready to try your Lasagna recipe and I have an ignorant question. You say to make the sauce with meatballs and braciole. Then you say to spoon sauce over the lasagna upon serving. Since there is no meat in the lasagna are we to serve the sausage, meatballs and braciole with the lasagna? Probably a dumb question but don't forget I'm a WASP and anytime I've had lasagna in the past it had meat in the sauce and was the only dish served. Cabish? Dave Hi Dave, Cabish... Yes, you serve the lasagna with the Meatballs, Braciole, Pork chops and Sausage if you make the whole deal :-) Even if you make my sauce with meat, meaning meat sauce, I have directions for that as an option, I would still serve the extra meat. Nice Italian home cooked meals should always be feasts! You should be ready for a nap after a good Italian meal :-) :-) Did you notice that I have direction on how to make my sauce a meat sauce in the photo area? It's located in the first photos on this page here. I have found that the lasagna is wonderful when you make it with the meat sauce. But still serve the other meat. ~8-) Anthony

Hi Anthony! It was a pleasure to read your site - I'm 60 and was the only non-Italian in my neighborhood as a kid. Mrs. Greco (next door neighbor) gave me a copy of your sauce recipe and showed me how to make sauce in the early 1960's. She and your folks must have been from the same area in the old country. I actually got in to a small argument about this technique of making sauce about 20 years ago. A hard-Italian friend of mine and I were talking about making sauce - I told him his lack of success (compared to mine) was do to him not "frying the paste" at the beginning of the process. He told me "I was not Italian and stupid when it came to sauce" - - I of course told him he was wrong, frying the paste, with olive oil - garlic just removed, until the sauce actually breaks up in the pan was the key to red sauce as I was taught. He came over about a week later with a bottle of wine and an apology. He had talked to his father a few days after our debate and his father (came over in early 1900's) said that was the old way to make sauce, but most people didn't want to take the time now. I still try to make Mrs. Greco sauce every Sunday during the winter, schedule permitting - Mine is all paste (3-6oz cans), water mixed in after the paste frying process to cover the meatballs, a little less oregano than you use, all the other same ingredients (same basic recipe) - glad to see another "old style guy" recommending to "FRY THE PASTE". BTW - Super site you've got!! Richard Kos Richard, Ouch, the only non-Italian in your neighborhood, that must have been tough! WoW! Mrs. Greco actually had her recipe written down? That a RaRe thing with Italians. Usually they just know what to put in the sauce and nothing is written down. It's taken me a long time to nail down exactly what my grandma Salerno made. I had a little bit written down and my mom knew some, had to extract it out of her memory and my mother-in-law also helped. it also took me a long time to actually write out the recipe. It was all in my head. I could make it from scratch by putting some of this and some of that the way I was thought, but never had it written down in detail. I originally did the step by step recipe for my Dad who divorced my mom a long time ago but always LOVED his mother-in-laws sauce so I spelled it out for him in great detail and it was a success! :-)Oh yes! you have to fry the paste! That beginning part with the olive oil, garlic, onions and paste and seasoning, it's all so very important! Definitely!!!! I'm glad you were justified in your argument. I mean, you had Mrs. Greco's recipe, you had the inside scoop man! :-) That was quite an honor I must say, for her to give you her recipe. Italian moms and grandmas just don't do that! You ask them how to make the sauce and they say "You put, you taste, that's it!". Or they have recipes that say add some flour and cook until done and so on... I'm telln' ya! it's hard to recreate a recipe from this information. Very interesting that you make your sauce with all paste... I might have to try that out one day :-) Well, thanks for sharing! Happy cooking and happy times! Share the love!!!!! Ciao, ~8-) Anthony

Hi Anthony! Great recipes! I usually make a variation of my great grandpas(Calabrese) sauce recipe for a holiday lasagna. The only problem I had was with the meats. Actually the meatballs turned out good, but they fell apart due to the stirring and the simmering. I probably need more breadcrumbs, or need to chill them longer in the fridge. The sausage and pork cutlets were dry as a bone by the end I seared them according to the recipe. The braciole turned out much better but also had some dry,well done parts. Any tips? Thanks for creating the site. I will try more recipies. Jim Jim, Oh that is such a bummer when the meatballs fall apart. I have had this happen before, but never the dry meat you mentioned. What I have learned about the meatballs is to make sure your mixture is not too wet when you’re finished molding your balls. If I feel it’s a little too wet or “mooshy”, I then add just a bit more breadcrumbs and maybe a little bit more water soaked bread squeezed out real good. After you have made the meatballs a hundred times or so, you will have it down to an art ;-) The other thing is that once the meat is in the sauce you always have to be very gentle when you stir. Make sure you just don’t dive right in the sauce with your spoon, slowly push the spoon down into the sauce along the side of the pan and then scoop to the middle stirring nice and gentle. I’m at a total loss at to why you would have ended up with dry sausage and pork chops. How long to you end up cooking the meat in the sauce? After I have finished the initial process of getting all the sauce going and then putting in the first meats I think I usually end up simmering the sauce with the meat for about 3 to 4 hours. This is always a judgment calls and changes a bit every time I make the sauce. One thing I do often which I probably don’t have on the website is after cooking the sauce and meat for a while. I turn the stove off and just little the sauce sit with the pan covered for a while, about an hour or two, then fire up the heat again and cook it some more. I find there is a special marinating thing that happens and this seems to help the meat. This might help with the dryness problem. If you try out the recipe again with these extra tips, let me know how it goes. I might have to add what I just mentioned above on the site. Happy cooking and happy times!!! …and share the LOVE!! Ciao, ~8-) Anthony

Hi Anthony! I’m interested in making these cookies better than my Aunt Toni, which should not be too difficult since hers are like nuclear warheads. However, she claims they have to be boiled, then baked, like a bagel recipe…. I don’t see the boiling point here – is that the Grandma tip you are missing? Jessie Vaccarelli Jessie, Yes, I believe that is the missing step. I have tried this recipe several times now several different ways. The best I've come up with so far is the exact recipe I have on the site now but adding the boiling step just prior to baking. I boiled them for 30 seconds and drain on wax paper. What I get is a cookie that tastes just like my grandma's but not as crunchy and then the next day they are even less crunchy. My grandma Salerno's would always but tough and crunchy and they would stay that way.... errrg!!! One day I WILL have this figured out. I actually have it planned out to try again in a couple of weeks with some different twists. Hotter oven, cook longer???? Oh Oh Oh if grandma would have only written down her recipe... ooohhh.... The one my mom had was a hand written recipe by my grandma and you know what it said? Some flour... "SOME", cook until done!!! and so on... ugh! Anyway, if you have any luck with this recipe or find out something I am missing, please enlighten me. Ciao, ~8-) Anthony

Hey There, I found your recipe for pasta sauce and meatballs via Google and it looks great - I'm intending to give this a go tomorrow with my son. We're based in the UK and I therefore just wanted to clarify a couple of the ingredients as we don't have the same names in the UK. 1. Is your 'Tomato Paste' the same as our 'Sun dried Tomato Paste' ? 2. Is your 'Tomato Sauce' the same as our tomato puree (we tend to get this in a tube and it's quite thick) or is it what we Brits would call passata (which is more a thick kind of tomato sauce (which will pour, though) that we get in a jar or a carton) Any guidance appreciated as I don't want to mess this up. Thanks in advance. ~ Phil PS - Do you have any other great recipes (in particular for nice simple Italian starters) PPS - If you're a soccer fan, did you see the news about David Beckham signing for LA - $500m - What's that all about !!! He's got too much money already! Hi Phil, Hey, my brother's name is Phil :-) Ok, The thick stuff you mentioned that comes in a tube, that will be the equivalent of what I call paste. What I call sauce that comes in a can would most likely be what you call passata. The sauce should be of a consistency that you can pour and the paste should be thick. So my paste is your Puree in a tube and my sauce is your passata in a jar or carton. Well, I'm only a soccer fan during the world cup and the team I "secretly" root for when Americans are playing is Italy :-) $500M is just ridiculous for a soccer player.. crazy! If you think about it and would not mind, I need more photos for my Visitors Photo section located here. I would love to have some photos of you and your son making the sauce, it would fantastic addition to the website. I would also LOVE to see a photo of the paste and sauce equivalents that you use there in the UK. I could add a section showing photos of those items for all my UK visitors :-) Good to see a father cooking with his son! :-) I have two sons of my own and I like cooking with them as well. Have a fantastic day!! Ciao, ~8-) Anthony Thanks Anthony I Will sort the photo's out - no problem :-) ~ Phil Phil,, COOL! Look forward to the pix :-) I noticed I forgot to answer one of your questions. The one about simple Italian starters. This one is real yummy to have for a little appetizer: Sausage Bread. EnJoY! ~8-) Anthony Thanks Anthony I will give he Sausage Bread a go later. Just one final check - The tomato paste that you've likened to our tomato puree. Just checking is is quite smooth in consistency liek a very thick ketchup ? Or is it coarse? ~ Phil PS - Where are you based ? I love the states and have holidayed there for the last 3 years (and Canada as well)? Phil, Yes a very thick and smooth consistency. Here is a photo of the paste just dropped into the pan, I have this in the 100's of photo gallery section. I am located in North Carolina, close to the Charlotte area. Been living here for 11 years. Lived in Ft. Lauderdale Florida for 9 years prior to that, then New Orleans, Louisiana for 9 years prior to that and grew up in Springfield Massachusetts. Hopped around a lot in each of those states as well. I have lived in many places! But I think I am staying put here in North Carolina. A beautiful state!!! Where are you in the UK? What part of the UK I mean? Hope this helps. ~8-) Anthony Thanks for all the help Tony! Tomato Puree it is! My son is in from school in 30 mins so we'll start the cooking then (possibly eat it tomorrow). Will get the camera out. I'm originally from Newcastle upon Tyne which is north east england, but for the last five years have lived in a place called Falkirk (about 15 miles west of Edinburgh, 20 miles east of Glasgow (two great cities) in Scotland Haven't tried the Carolina / North Carolina areas - maybe next year (as visiting a friend in Oz this year)Springfield eh ? No Simpsons jokes coming your way, but I actually drove close by there last year on vacation. Took my parents across and we looked around New England a little - staying in Guilford CT, Cape Cod, Providence, Great Barrington (passed Springfiled on the way) and then a week in New York. Have previously been to 'New York, Boston ,Washington' (2008) and then Florida (2002) and then Vegas (Grand Canyon / Monument Valley), San Fran, Yosemite (great place) (2008) etc.... Too much to see and do A great country with great friendly people. Take it easy and thanks for the quick responses - Have a fab weekend! ~ Phil Phil did send in some photos.. Thanks for the photo's Phil, you da man! :-) You can see Phil's photos here. However, Phil himself was not in the photos, but he did let his wife and son get in on the action :-)

Bravo Anthony!! Let me take this time to say BRAVO!!!! I stumbled arcross your FABULOUS spaghetti sauce recipe and I had the BEST experience cooking in my kitchen that I have EVER had. In fact it was so Marvelous that my husband even danced with me to the sounds of Sante Lucia (my moma's favorite song) and he doesn't have a romantic bone in his body. Let me thank you for taking the time to put this lovely recipe out there for folks like me to enjoy. Guten appetite Caren Caren, I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Italian cooking done the right way can be very romantic indeed! Very good of your husband to dance with you. Tell him Anthony said well done! :-) Auh, the power of Italian food! There is just so much love poured into the food, the smells, the sounds, it's all just wonderful! Happy to share it with you. Ciao, ~8-) Anthony

Hello Anthony, I was wondering if you have any recipes for spinach stuffed bread. It is homemade dough with spinach, olives and mozzarella cheese in it. I lost my recipe many years ago. Thanks, Sandy P.S. I am dying to make the anisette cookies. I haven't had them since I dumped my ex over 14 years ago.! Sandy, I don't have a recipe for spinach bread but now you have just made me extremely hungry for some. I imagine you could use a variation of my Onion Tomato bread recipe found here. Oh the Anisette cookies are just glorious. I had one today with lunch :-) We (my wife and I) just made about 4 batches of the goodies.... Mailed them all out to friends and family yesterday along with Pesetas. Something we do every year. We have family scattered all over the country. Anyway, so don't have the spinach bread recipe. Make the Anisettes! 14 years is too long to go without those cookies! ! Ciao, ~8-) Anthony

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If you have any comments, tips, suggestions or great childhood stories that are connected with grandmom's cooking or just want to share all the wonderful times you had growing up with Italian cooking and wonderfull meals, then please send them to me and I will add them to sauce talk for others to enjoy. People must know of this love! ...back to the front page please

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