Friday, January 6, 2012

Miracle

It finally happened!  After 15 years of struggling, I finally made a spaghetti sauce that my family likes.  I began as a 15 year old armed with canned tomatoes and fresh herbs and the Joy of Cooking.  But it was never right.  Thin, thin, thin. Bitter.  Runny.  After a few years, I pretty much gave up.

Last summer I canned my own tomatoes so I was determined to make a sauce that made everyone happy. I tried several.  No dice.  Then after a particularly crushing defeat wherein even I didn't want to eat my sauce, I did I should have done all along--I added carrots.  After lots of cooking and blending, I found what my family has been wanting for those noodles: thick, not-bitter, not-sweet, rich, tomato-y and not-too-bright sauce.  The kind of sauce you can eat with your fingers (Annabel), doesn't "pee" on your plate (Luke), isn't bitter (me) and compliments meat-ah-BALL-uhs (Laine).

I can't really write down a precise recipe yet because I doctored several tries, but if I can recreate it, I will share.

Things I do know:

  • Do remove the seeds...it is a pain, but those little buggers are bitter!
  • Do use a really nice tomato paste or at least something reliable
  • Immersion blenders are a gift (well mine was) and should be liberally applied
  • The secret is carrots.  Lots of carrots.


3 comments:

  1. Popping in for "coffe" with a fellow Company Girl! Good for you to stick it out until you came up with the perfect sauce. I have absolutely no cooking skills, so I always admire those who can.

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  2. As one who opens a jar of Ragu and calls it "done," I applaud you!! Such perseverance in the face of adversity! Your sauce sounds fresh and delicious - congrats! Thanks for linking up!

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