My Mamoo was known to those she grew up with as Blue and here is what I was told those folk back home thought of Blue’s special Italian spaghetti sauce: “The first time I ever ate Italian spaghetti — she make it at Mam Maw’s house when she and John were “on leave” from the Air Force. Grand daddy ate only the sauce with a big spoon. We family in Auxier always looked forward to Blue coming home to make Italian spaghetti.”
In the recipe here you will see a mix of whole (canned), sauced, and pasted tomato is used. However, it should be noted that, as the adage of her time goes, “use what you have on hand” and I am certain Mamoo would agree that the choice of the source of tomatoes is therefore a little flexible such that you may use exclusively canned whole tomatoes, with juices, to exclusively tomato sauce without too much worry or fuss with the recipe. Leverage the tomato paste and possibly a touch of water in these cases to adjust the thickness of the sauce as desired. Oh, and Mamoo was considered to have small hands so if you have large hands and are unsure of oregano I propose you start with half a handful of oregano. You can taste the sauce and add more if you like.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. ground beef, browned with some onions then drained of fat
- 1 qt. tomatoes
- two 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
- two 4 oz. cans tomato paste
- oregano, dried – pile in hand
- basil, dried – five or six good shakes
- 1 bay leaf
- parsley, dried
- dash of sugar
- 2-3 tbsp. olive oil
- salt and pepper
- optional add-ins: Seriously, no! This was Mamoo’s recipe and so we don’t mess with it. Mutiny at the dinner table is not a trifle matter.
- Stir all ingredients together very well in a large, heavy bottomed pot.
- Bring to a gentle simmer and cook slowly until as thick as you like but allowing at least 45 minutes is recommended. Simmering for 2 to 3 hours is suggested to allow the flavors of the sauce time to fully develop.
Footnote: To be certain, I can assure you that when traditionally served with a good bread and a healthy salad there is absolutely nothing wrong with skipping the spaghetti and eating this sauce with a big spoon.
Jared & Mary Ann 