Spaghetti sauce...

[buckytom]

ironchef, i do feel lucky to have been raised in an area with such great culinary traditions. not only are there authentic italian places near me, but just about every nationality on earth has their own little enclave with great food somewhere around the city. the other half of my town is eastern european, so i'm only beginning to indulge in that fare.

i envy your mexican connections. that is one thing here that is sorely lacking, but you can find a few good authentic mexican, not tex-mex, places, if you try. my favorite regional mexican i think is from vera cruz. because it is a port city, you get the best from the sea as well as inland produce and meats. great cooking traditions there too. one of my fav's is shrimp and crab vera cruz. it's the seafood stuffed into corn crepes, then topped with a nice light pink sauce. another fav is huachinango al mojo de ajo. snapper in a light garlic cream sauce. now i'm jonesin' for mexican.....

 

[marmalady]

Bucky - You HAVE to go to 'Zarela's' if you haven't been; she's my Mexican food deva, and her food is just awesome!

Here's her website - www.zarela.com

 

[debthecook]

Otter, try Newman's Own Fra Diavolo. I like all his sauces, this one the best but when you pour on this one, the friends will ask what did you do!!!! Its spicy, but VERY VERY GOOD for jarred.
http://www.newmansown.com/4b2_hot_spicy.html

 

[buckytom]

Bucky - You HAVE to go to 'Zarela's' if you haven't been; she's my Mexican food deva, and her food is just awesome!

Here's her website - www.zarela.com

marmalady, where have you been all my life??????!!!!!!!!! what other little secrets about my fair city do you know about?????????????? i went to her site, it really looks interesting, and it's do-able because she's just across town on the east side in the 50's. i'll have to let you know when i'm going there...

 

[marmalady]

Bucky, lol - ummm, let's see - Mahda Jaffrey's restaurant 'Dawlat' - can't remember where it is - maybe around Broadway, on restaurant row?

And a tiny little sushi place in the Village called 'Samauri Sushi'.

Have to ask DH about some others, senior moment kicking in!

I do hope you enjoy Zarela's - be sure to make a reservation - she's always packed to the gills! If you get a cookbook and take it with you, she'll sign it for you - she's really a wonderful, wonderful lady who is just so into preserving the authenticity of all the regional Mexican cuisines.

 

[Lifter]

A quick note here, IronChef responded to my request as to where to access the San Marzano tomatoes...regrettably they're not available for shipment to Canada from the American importer, not my fellow Canucks, is there an importer in Canada...

So will have to carry on with our Roma's, and try to doctor them to suit...those rare times when a pasta meal is not a hurried up one...and continue doctoring the canned/bottle sauces on the hurried ones...

Lifter

 

[marmalady]

Can you get 'Muir Glen' tomato products in Canada? They're organic, not San Marzano, but are absolutely the best canned tomatoes I've ever had!

 

[Lifter]

Typically I'll buy organic tomato's fresh at Fortino's (in the winter, only!) in the may-November period there's a Slovenian lady over in Winona that has a greenhouse operation that has the very best tomato's you can lay your hands on....while the soil type here is certainly NOT volcanic, the greenhouse does replicate the Italian sub-tropical climate, and her tomatos, organic or not, rule, around here....

Lifter

 

[buckytom]

Can you get 'Muir Glen' tomato products in Canada? They're organic, not San Marzano, but are absolutely the best canned tomatoes I've ever had!

those are my fav canned tomatoes too, marmalady. i wll also use the radioactive pomi ones, gives a nice glow to your sauce.

 

[norgeskog]

Hey Otter, I make spaghetti sauce at least once a week and my kids devour it (and invite all their friends over too!!) Try this:

1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp minced garlic or 2-3 crushed cloves
1 small tin tomato paste
1 handful brown sugar
shake some oregano, basil, marjoram, salt and pepper into the sauce
splash of wine


Feeds 4 hungry people, so adjust accordingly for more.

The keys to this recipe I have discovered the garlic and brown sugar. The sweetness appeals to nearly every palate. This is a really quick recipe to toss together. Depending on how thick your sauce is you may not need the tomato paste. I just toss it in to thicken things up quickly. If you want chunks of stuff in here, you can toss any chopped veggies in that you like. I have done onions, zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, olives, anything you like. Hope this helps.

I agree with Otter, I am not a great fan of spaghetti, but tonight a inhome tailgate party and someone donated pepperoni/cheese pretzels to the cause so I wanted to make a tomatoe based pasta sauce as a dipping sauce. Alix, your sauce will be perfect as I oven roasted quartered tomatoes, yellow and red peppers, onion, garlic with olive oil so all I need to is add the tomatoe paste and I have fresh marjoram and oregano and more garlic. Thanks. BTW I told you the wrong city for one of my cousins in Canada, they live in Saskatchwan, city Spruce Lake, but her brother lives in Alberta.

 

[swinchen]

... The sweetness appeals to nearly every palate...

I don't understand this. I really don't like sweet pasta sauces at all. That is why I like Clasico (spicy red pepper or tomato and pesto). They seem to be the only commercial sauce that doesn't add a ton of sugar. I know the sugar is to cut down the acidity, it just doesnt seem worth it IMO.

 

[norgeskog]

... The sweetness appeals to nearly every palate...

I don't understand this. I really don't like sweet pasta sauces at all. That is why I like Clasico (spicy red pepper or tomato and pesto). They seem to be the only commercial sauce that doesn't add a ton of sugar. I know the sugar is to cut down the acidity, it just doesnt seem worth it IMO.

I agree with you swinchen, I do not like sweet sauces, I do not add sugar when I make tomatoe sauce.

 

[swinchen]

I noticed there was some talk about favorite places to eat...

If anyone is ever up near my neck of the woods (Rockland Maine) Try this place: http://www.cafemiranda.com/

You should check out there menu! It is huge. They make this focaccia bread that my girlfriend and I call "the chewy bread" it is to die for. I have been trying to recreate it at my place... no luck. I think the wood-fired brick oven is a key component. We always split the "Pasta without" which is basically just fresh homeade fetucine, witch a nice simple sauce and some parm. peels ontop. Let me tell you... excellent!