Sauces: Marinara Sauce

By JoFClark

Ingredients

• #1 Micael Chiarello's Marinara Sauce
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup onions, minced
• 1 T fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 large garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups tomato puree, fresh
• 1 basil, stem large and fresh with leaves removed
• 1 t sea salt, preferably gray salt
• 1 pinch baking soda or 1 pinch sugar, if needed
• #2 Real Meatballs and Spaghetti (fixed for Grundy)
• 1/2 pound ground veal
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crust removed)
• 1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 2 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 t kosher salt
• 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 t ground nutmeg
• 1 extra large egg, beaten
• Vegetable oil
• Olive oil
• with Sauce
• 1 T good olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 1/2 t minced garlic
• 1/2 cup good red wine such as Chianti
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
• 1 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 t kosher salt
• 1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
• Freshly grated Parmesan
• #3 Spaghetti Squash with Marinara
• 2 whole spaghetti squash
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Gray salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups prepared marinara sauce (jarred)
• #4 Marinara Sauce
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• q/w t sea salt
• 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (32 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 dried bay leaves
• #5 Basic Marinara Sauce
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 t Italian seasoning
• 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree
• 2 T chopped fresh parsley leaves

Preparation

Step 1

#1
1 Heat the olive oil in a large non-reactive pot over moderate heat
2 Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 8 minutes
3 Add the parsley and garlic and cook briefly to release their fragrance
4 Add the tomatoes, basil and salt
5 Simmer briskly until reduced to a sauce like consistency, stirring occasionally so nothing stick to the bottom of the pan
6 The timing will depend on the ripeness and meatiness of your tomatoes and the size of your pot
7 If the sauce thickness too much before the flavors have developed, add a little water and continue cooking
8 Taste and adjust the seasoning
If the sauce tastes too acidic, add the baking soda and cook for 5 more minutes
If it need a touch of sweetness add the sugar and cook for 5 more minutes
9 Remove the basil stem before serving

#2 Real Meatballs
Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl
Combine very lightly with a fork
Using your hand, lightly form the mixture into 2 inch meatballs
You will have 14-16 meatballs

Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12 inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4 inch
Heat the oil
Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork
This should take about 10 minutes for each batch
Don't crowd the meatballs
Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels
Discard the oil but don't clean the pan

For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan
Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent, 5-10 minutes
Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute
Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes
Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt and pepper

Return the meatballs to the sauce,cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25-30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through
Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan

#3 Spaghetti Squash with Marinara

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F

Split the squashes in half and scrape out seeds
Line an oven tray with aluminum foil
Season the spaghetti squash with olive oil, salt and pepper
Place flesh side down and roast for 30-40 minutes until fully cooked
Remove from the oven and let rest until cool enough to handle

Meanwhile, heat the marinara sauce in a large sauté pan

When squash is cool enough to handle, using a large kitchen spoon scrape the strands of squash from the inside of the skin
Toss the spaghetti squash in the pan twitch the hot marinara for just long enough to get hot
Serve and enjoy

#4 Marinara Sauce

In a large pot, heaeet the oil over a medium high flame
Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes
Add the celery, carrot, and 1/2 t each of salt and pepper
Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes
Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour
Remove and discard the bay leaves
Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste

The sauce can be made 1 day ahead
Cool, then cover and refrigerate
Rewarm over medium heat before using

#5 Basic Marinara Sauce
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat
Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring until tender, 5-6 minutes
Add the Italian seasoning and cook for 30 seconds
Add the diced tomatoes with juice, the tomato puree, and parsley
Stir to blend and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour