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From: macrakis@harvard.ARPA (Stavros Macrakis)
Newsgroups: net.cooks
Subject: Re: Spaghetti Sauce Recipes
Message-ID: <363@harvard.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 19-Sep-85 16:58:57 EDT
Article-I.D.: harvard.363
Posted: Thu Sep 19 16:58:57 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Sep-85 01:22:21 EDT
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Organization: Aiken Comp. Lab., Harvard
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> >Does anyone have any good spaghetti sauce receipes? --Cindy (cin@cbdkc1)

I would think it would take an entire cookbook to cover this!  For
instance, Buonarotti's Piccolo Codice della Pasta.  General-purpose
Italian cookbooks are generally quite good for this, too.

> Spaghetti sauce... falls into the same category as hash or stew.
> Everybody has their own idea of what should go in....

I would say it falls into the same category as soup or dessert: there
are many distinct preparations, not variants on one preparation.

> Most of the optional stuff [stuff?!] has been grouped into
> categories for inclusion at the appropriate point in the recipe.
> ...  (5) Absolutely vital - don't omit (4) A good idea - use it
> unless you simply hate the ingredient ....

A strange notion, that recipes are additive.  Presumably, to make
clam sauce for your spaghetti, you just add clams to the tomato-meat-
vegetable sauce; to make a carbonara, you add bacon to the clam-
tomato-meat-vegetable sauce?

> .... Heat the whole mess [indeed!] up until it starts to bubble,...
>		-- Bill Laubenheimer ucbvax!wildbill

Well, in case you're thinking I can only be negative, let me suggest
some simple spaghetti sauces.

1. Many good sauces can be made simply by chopping up finely a few
ingredients by hand or in a machine.  By now, everyone knows pesto.
But how about: anchovies, garlic, and oil (olive, of course); the very
best fresh tomatoes, uncooked, but seeded and drained, with basil
leaves, garlic, and oil -- chop together and let sit for an afternoon.

2. Ragu alla Bolognese.  Three parts chopped beef; one part each
chopped carrots, chopped onions, peeled tomatoes.  Red wine, say half
a bottle for a pound of meat.  Salt, pepper, nutmeg.

Beef should be put through the grinder only once.  Saute carrots and
onions in butter or olive oil until browned.  Sprinkle a bit of flour
over the vegetables if you like.  Add chopped beef, plenty of
freshly-ground pepper (an ordinary blender will do very well for
grinding large quantities of pepper), cook until browned.  Add
chopped (canned Italian) tomatoes, wine.  Salt very lightly.  Simmer
a good hour, adding wine or water so that the mixture is always very
moist but never swimming.

Sauce should have a very thick consistency and be brown, not red.


Naturally, you'll use the best spaghetti (de Cecco, say) cooked al
dente, buttered, and served in heated plates, and offer freshly-grated
Parmesan (alas, now at $10/lb!).

	-s