fresh basil leaves, chopped fresh basil leaves, chopped .
teaspoon salt, plus more to taste teaspoon salt, plus more to taste .
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste .
cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
In a Large Skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame. When almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is very tender, about 8 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the ground beef, and saute until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up any large lumps, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley, basil, and teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and cook over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens, about 30 minutes. Stir in the cheese, then season 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.) heat the oil over a medium flame. When almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is very tender, about 8 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the ground beef, and saute until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up any large lumps, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley, basil, and teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and cook over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens, about 30 minutes. Stir in the cheese, then season 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.)
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It"s important to have your cream at room temperature so that it does not curdle when it is mixed with the marinara sauce.
VODKA SAUCE.
This tasty Italian-American invention (you just won"t find it in Italy) looks like it"s a heavy dish, but the vodka kicks in and heats up the back of your throat to cut through the heavy cream. You can buy it in a jar, but because it"s a cinch to make and very yummy, it"s definitely worth taking the few minutes to make it from scratch. I like to serve it with rigatoni or penne.
MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART; SERVES 4 OVER A POUND OF PASTA AS A MAIN COURSE.
3.
cups cups Marinara Sauce Marinara Sauce
1.
cup vodka cup vodka .
cup heavy cream, at room temperature cup heavy cream, at room temperature .
cup grated Parmesan cheese cup grated Parmesan cheese .
teaspoon salt, plus more to taste teaspoon salt, plus more to taste .
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
In a Heavy, large skillet, simmer the marinara sauce and vodka over low heat, stirring often, until the mixture reduces by one fourth, about 20 minutes. Stir in the cream and continue to simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, teaspoon of salt, and teaspoon of pepper. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste. large skillet, simmer the marinara sauce and vodka over low heat, stirring often, until the mixture reduces by one fourth, about 20 minutes. Stir in the cream and continue to simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, teaspoon of salt, and teaspoon of pepper. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste.
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TURKEY MEATb.a.l.l.s.
in Tomato Sauce This is an Italian-American favorite, but I like to make my meatb.a.l.l.s with turkey instead of the traditional pork, veal, and beef. It"s lighter and healthier, and that way I can eat it more often. Your guests will be so busy eating them that they won"t have time to ask what"s in them (they are that that good), especially when they adorn a gigantic family-size platter of spaghetti or linguine. good), especially when they adorn a gigantic family-size platter of spaghetti or linguine.
MAKES ABOUT 3 DOZEN MEATb.a.l.l.s; SERVES 4 TO 6 OVER A POUND OF PASTA AS A MAIN COURSE.
cup plain dried bread crumbs cup plain dried bread crumbs .
cup chopped flat-leaf parsley cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2.
large eggs, lightly beaten large eggs, lightly beaten
2.
tablespoons whole milk tablespoons whole milk .
cup grated Romano cheese cup grated Romano cheese .
teaspoon salt teaspoon salt .
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1.
pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat .
cup extra-virgin olive oil cup extra-virgin olive oil
5.
cups cups Marinara Sauce Marinara Sauce
In a Large Bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, milk, cup of the cheese, and the salt and pepper. Add the turkey and gently stir to combine, being careful not to overwork the meat. Shape the meat mixture into bite-size b.a.l.l.s. stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, milk, cup of the cheese, and the salt and pepper. Add the turkey and gently stir to combine, being careful not to overwork the meat. Shape the meat mixture into bite-size b.a.l.l.s.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Working in batches, add the meatb.a.l.l.s and cook without moving or turning the meatb.a.l.l.s until brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn the meatb.a.l.l.s over and brown the other side, about 3 minutes longer. Continue to cook until all the sides are golden brown. Add the marinara sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the flavors blend, about 5 minutes. (The meatb.a.l.l.s can be made up to this point 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before continuing.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meatb.a.l.l.s to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining cup of cheese. Place the cooked pasta in the skillet with the remaining sauce and toss to coat. Transfer the pasta to a separate large serving bowl, and serve with the meatb.a.l.l.s.
The meatb.a.l.l.s can be made ahead of time and reheated with their sauce in a 250 degree F oven for about 30 minutes. The recipe can also be used to make mini meatb.a.l.l.s to serve as an appetizer. can be made ahead of time and reheated with their sauce in a 250 degree F oven for about 30 minutes. The recipe can also be used to make mini meatb.a.l.l.s to serve as an appetizer.
TUNA AND TOMATO SAUCE.
This is another straight-from-the-pantry dish for days when there"s no time to cook. My mother relied on it very heavily when I was growing up, and everyone loved it. The lemon zest wakes up all the flavors and perfumes the dish, but you could use red pepper flakes instead if you don"t have a lemon.
MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART; SERVES 4 OVER A POUND OF PASTA AS A MAIN COURSE.
3.
cups cups Marinara Sauce Marinara Sauce
2.
(6-ounce) cans albacore tuna packed in oil, drained (6-ounce) cans albacore tuna packed in oil, drained
1.
tablespoon drained capers tablespoon drained capers
1.