Finding a good Marinara in a jar can be a real time saver when it’s one of the ingredients in your recipe. I found two that I like. Barilla and Classico make excellent sauces, but they both are a little sweeter than I prefer. Far less so than most of the others I’ve tried. So, when I want a basic Marinara, without any sweetness, and especially when it is the main dish that’s being served, I make my own.
I learned this one from my father, Ralph. He was a trained Chef, learning his profession before WW2, serving in the Merchant Marines. Dad used to tell us great stories about his travels in the Merchant Marines, but not so much about the war. He would talk about it from time to time, if we asked questions.
Dad loved cooking. With his skills, and my Mother being the best Southern cook I’ve ever known, well, I grew up thinking everyone ate that way. It wasn’t until later in life that I began to really appreciate the food we had in our home and the skill with which it was prepared. Dad had several variations on this sauce. He changed it, depending on what he would be using it for. This was his “stand alone” sauce, made to be served over pasta, as the main ingredient of the dish. This was my Grandmother’s favorite sauce, which my Dad taught her to make when he and my Mother were dating in Charlotte, NC. How a boy from New York ended up in Charlotte is a wonderful story.
Dad served in the Atlantic crossings during WW2, as part of the convoys that took troops and material to Europe. He made more than a dozen trips. When Germany surrendered, he volunteered to do the same in the Pacific, until Japan surrendered. My mother’s first husband, Tracy, died in France during the war. They had a quick “war time” marriage just before he shipped out, and Mom decided to volunteer for work in a munitions factory in California. At the end of the war my Dad was given a train ticket and told he had to report back to New York, his “Home Port” station. My Mom quit her job and decided to go home, back to Charlotte.
As my Dad boarded the train, he noticed a young woman struggling to get aboard with her luggage. Mom had a cast on her leg and there were no “Red Caps” or porters around to help. Dad jumped off and helped her, introducing himself, and as he put it, “falling in love the moment he looked into her eyes”. Mom always tells the story that he “pestered” her all the way across the country, insisting on having his meals with her, following her from one car to another, but also being very charming and “almost” irresistible. Mom got off the train in Charlotte, saying goodbye to my Dad before they arrived at the station. A Porter and Red Caps helped her with the luggage and she made it to the platform, only to turn around and bump directly into my Dad. Mom said he a “huge grin” on his face. When she asked, “What the hell are you doing here? I thought you had to be in New York!” Dad just shook his head. “Nope”, he said, “I’m staying in Charlotte until you marry me”. And he did, and they did, and that’s why me and my brother are here!
I heard this story for the first time, at least that I remember it, while the two of them were in the kitchen and Dad was making this sauce. That didn’t happen very often because they were both “kitchen sergeants” and usually got in each other’s way. It was special when they did share the cooking though. I don’t think of this story every time I make the Marinara, but I do think of it, and I love telling it, because it’s the kind of thing you hear and see in the movies!
This recipe will make about 8 to 10 servings. I’ve added meatballs to this meal, but I add those to the sauce I’m going to use for the evening’s meal, not to the entire pot of Marinara.
Prep time: 15 min. – Cook time: at least 1 hour
Ingredients
1 – Glass red wine for the Chef, I had Merlot this evening
1 – Lrg Can Tomatoes, whole, peeled
2 – Lrg Cans Tomatoes, Crushed, I prefer Cento because they are Italian tomatoes and I love the flavor.
2 – Onions, medium, finely chopped
5 – 6 Garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
1/2C – White wine, dry
Oregano, dried
Parsley, dried
Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
Pasta of you choice
Making The Magic
If you haven’t had your first sip of wine, I’m going to stop until you do…..
Okay, Start with a large pot on the stove and begin to heat about 4-5T of olive oil to medium heat.
Finely chop your onions and set aside. Next, peel the garlic. The easiest way is to place the flat of your knife on top of the clove and whack it gently. The peel will pop open and you’ll be able to pull the clove out of the peel. Don’t worry if it’s slightly crushed. Now, slice the garlic cloves into halves and set aside.
When the oil is hot, you should be able to smell the aroma of the olive oil rising from the pot or see the oil beginning to swirl in the pot, drop in one piece of the halved garlic. Does it sizzle? If it does, drop in the rest of the garlic and immediately reduce the heat to medium low. You want the garlic to brown slowly. It will begin to release it’s oils and will change as it cooks in the oil. The oil will absorb the garlic flavors and the garlic will change from a pungent flavor to a slightly sweet and creamy texture.
Just as the garlic starts to brown, ever so slightly, drop in the chopped onions. Swirl them together and let the new flavors begin to bloom in the oil as the chemical reaction between the garlic, olive oil and onions transforms them into little pearls of soft, savory, flavor.
When all of it is softened and the garlic has browned a little more, use your hands and gently crush and squeeze the whole tomatoes into the pot. Do it gently or you’ll end up getting splattered with tomato juice. Stir this thoroughly into the simmering onions and garlic.
When it’s fully blended, add a little salt and pepper and blend it into the mixture.
Take another sip of wine…..thank you.
Next add the two cans of crushed tomatoes and blend together. I use this combination to make the sauce a little thicker,
Now add a “handful” of oregano and a “handful” of parsley by filling one palm with the dried herbs and then rubbing your hands together and spreading it over the sauce. Take a deep sniff of your palms when you do this. You’ll love the aromas that are released as a result of your crushing the dried leaves between your palms. Mmmmm-mmmm that smells so good! Blend everything thoroughly.
Finally, add salt and pepper to taste and 1/2C dry white wine and blend again.
Cover and simmer for at least an hour. I usually allow 3 to 4 hours, because the longer this simmers the more intense the flavors will become. I would recommend tasting this as it simmers, every 30 minutes or so and decide if you want to add more salt.
For this meal I added meatballs after the sauce had simmered about 4 hours. I took out the portion I wanted to serve that evening and pout it into another, smaller sauce pan. I then added the meat balls to that sauce pan and let it simmer together for another 20 to 30 minutes.
While the meatballs were simmering in the sauce, I put on the pasta. We had Linguini with this. I also fixed a loaf of bread from Aldi’s to “sop” up the sauce.
When it was all ready, it was on the plate and to the table in two heartbeats. By the time it was ready, and I had been smelling it for several hours, I couldn’t wait to dive in!
Variations To Keep It New
This sauce is so versatile. Take the serving portions from the pot, or if it’s leftover and frozen in serving sizes, try these additions:
Red, Pepper Flakes
Italian Sausage
Meat Balls
Chopped Black Olives
Wines We Love With This
Merlot
Chianti
Valpolicella
Any red that’s medium bodied and doesn’t fight the spiciness of the sauce.
Leftovers
I always make enough to have leftovers. Freeze this sauce in one or two serving size portions. Then you can take out the portions you need and add anything you want, like sausage or meatballs.
Momma Mia, that makes my stomach so happy! Eat, enjoy!
Question
How did your parents meet? Do they have a favorite meal?
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