Meat Sauce - not bad

[JohnT]

Made some meat sauce yesterday and am always looking for tips on how to make it better. I am posting pictures and a detailed list of what I do.

If any you folks make a really good meat sauce, I would be deeply grateful for any tips or advice..

Browned a mix of ground pork, veal, and beef in a little be of olive oil. spooned out most of the fat and added diced onion, celery, carat, and red bell pepper into the meat and continued to cook until the onions were "translucent".

Added some wine (to both the sauce and the cook) and some beef stock to deglaze the pot.

I then added some chopped garlic, two sprigs of oregano and a bunch of thyme (I brought plants in from the deck and continue to have fresh herbs).

I then added 3 cans of crushed tomatoes, one can of water, and a hand full of dried porcini mushrooms, 3 spoons of sugar (1 for each can), some dried basil and fennel seed.

I cooked for 2 hours, stirring every once in a while. At the two hour mark, I added 2 cans of tomato paste, and continued to cook/stir.

Served over imported pasta.

Tasted pretty good, whacha think???

 

[roger80465]

I think I wish I was at your house for dinner. Sounds really good, John. I might have added a pinch or 2 of pepper flakes for a little zing but that's just me.

 

[Scott]

Sounds good, what did the finished product look like?

 

[ibglowin]

Looks good enough to eat! Where you finding fresh Oregano and Thyme this time of year?

 

[JohnT]

Looks good enough to eat! Where you finding fresh Oregano and Thyme this time of year?

I wish I took a final picture of sauce and pasta. I am afraid that I took too many sips of the cooking wine and forgot.

I grow my herbs over the summer in pots (out on my deck). Before the first freeze, I bring a number of the pots indoors and place them in from of a large picture window. I am religious about watering them and have fresh herbs throughout the winter. For the perrenials I then cut them back, repot them in spring.

 

[Kraffty]

I think that's got to be a winner, I do a similar mix but based on Ann Burrell's technique where she runs the onion, celery, carrots through a food processor till really fine. Browns them first - REALLY BROWN!- adds the tomato paste - REALLY BROWN! - Meat - Brown, salting pretty liberal at each step. Deglazes with a whole bottle of Red and everything else is pretty much the same as you have. I don't know if it really improves the flavor but it stretches the time spent in front of the stove with a glass in hand!
Have fun,
Mike

 

[richmke]

Use Olive Oil to brown the onion/celery/carrots.
Deglaze with wine.
Add more olive oil and add the tomatoes.
Simmer 10 miniutes
Add the meat (uncooked) and everything else (except sugar)
Simmer a long time (2+ hours)

Add salt and sugar to taste. Simmer some more.
Some people add cheese (grated Parmesan or Romano)

 

[knifemaker]

Looks incredibly tasty, did you use dried basil? fresh adds so much more flavor.I pick the leaves during the growing season, and store them in a zip-lock bag in the freezer. When I'm cooking sauce I grab a few frozen leaves, chop roughly and add to the sauce. I've also chopped it in a food processor, and froze in ice cube trays, then stored the frozen cubes in zip-locks. I'm kind of lazy sometimes, so I just opt for the leaves in the bag method. Happy cooking, Dale.

 

[JohnT]

Richmke,

Question: You toss the meat in raw and let it cook? Do you skim off the fat or does the fat add extra flavor in the sauce?


Knifemaker,

I go positively nuts on fresh basil. Over the summer I feast on fresh bruschetta, caprese salads, pestos sauces (still looking for a good recipe), and red sauces. Heck, I even slice it into scrambled eggs for breakfest.

This spring, I planted over 10 pots of basil. Not nearly enough in my opinion.

All summer long, I snip a handful here and a handful there as cooking demands. 3 or 4 times over the summer, I usually harvest basil leaves and freeze the basil. I always take the "tops" off the basil so that 2 more grow in it's place and the whole plant becomes "bushier".

Unfortunately, my basil crop got wiped out over the summer. I was on vacation and the person that was supposed to water could not do it. When I got back from vacation, all of my basil had died, but my peppers, oregano, thyme, parley, and rosemary were fine. I still mourn the loss of my basil (on knees, sobbing "oh why did it have to be the basil!").

On the bright side, I did manage to get one harvest in. I got 3 sandwich bags crammed full of basil in my freezer. With such a limited supply, I want to save it for special occasions so this time I used (sob) dried basil from the store.....


Here is a picture of just some of my herbs (before the summer vacation). To think, just 5 months until planting season.

 

[ibglowin]

I used to plant basil from seed every Summer. Then about 5 years ago Trader Joe's moved into Santa Fe and offered this each Spring……

Needless to say no more messing with seeds. 4 of these guys keeps us stocked in that green "herb" that we all love all Summer and most of Fall. Now they are stocking "Winter Basil" plants as well!

Best omelette we make at our house is made from all fresh herbs (especially basil) and tomatoes from the garden. A little of the Kirkland (Costco) Cheve' mixed in as well and you have heaven in your mouth. LOL

 

[Scott]

I wish I took a final picture of sauce and pasta. I am afraid that I took too many sips of the cooking wine and forgot.



Next time maybe?

 

[richmke]

Richmke,

Question: You toss the meat in raw and let it cook? Do you skim off the fat or does the fat add extra flavor in the sauce?

Skim it off. Or, chill the sauce, and remove the disk of fat on the top.

 

[Boatboy24]

You're well on your way to a good Bolognese there, John.