A Saucy Story!

            A great family recipe that had been passed down from my great grandmother is a story worth talking about! With my great grandmother having lived in Sicily, Italy, it is no surprise that the recipe I am talking about is for spaghetti sauce. Throughout the years, this recipe has been a family favorite! However, I do admit that we have made a change to it since my great grandmother passed it to my grandmother. The original recipe called for regular tomato paste, and we changed it to Italian seasoned tomato paste. This new change gave the sauce much more flavor (which my great grandmother would approve of). Now what makes this spaghetti sauce recipe unique and interesting is that it calls for crushed red pepper flakes! This is used to add some spiciness to the sauce but of course can always be skipped for those who don’t like a little bit of extra heat. Also, you may ask, why not use real tomatoes? Well, my great grandmother used tomato paste because when she was around, you couldn’t find tomatoes when they were not in season. She used tomato paste so that this recipe could be made all year round, which after you taste this sauce, you will agree that it was a fantastic idea! My family and I are so proud to hold onto this recipe for spaghetti sauce, and I couldn’t be happier to share it with all of you!

Recipe:  

Authentic Sicilian Spaghetti Sauce

• 3 small cans Italian style tomato paste
• Water
• 1lb ground beef 80% lean
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 ½ tsp minced fresh garlic
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• ¼ cup minced fresh onion
• 1 tsp oregano
• ¼ tsp crushed pepper flakes

Brown onion and meat in a large sauce pan. When the meat is brown, add spices and mix, then add tomato paste. Stir and cook over medium heat for four minutes. Add enough water to cover tomato paste (about an inch) lightly stir. Turn heat on low. Do not stir sauce! Otherwise it will bubble all over your stove. Let simmer for two hours. Serve with pasta.