Jersey Red Sauce

My ex-husband cooks for an army. Even when there are only 3 for dinner, he still cooks for an army; I suppose it is the curse of the professional chef. So take that into account when you whip this up. It’ll give you sauce for the family, sauce for friends, sauce for the freezer.

Jersey style, yo.

In a big ass pot, sautee just until soft and shiny:

1 onion, chopped small

1 carrot, chopped small

2 stalks celery, chopped small

4 cloves garlic, chopped super small

Let that cook for a minute until it releases its oils. You’ll smell it.

At this point, you have options. I like to have a vegetarian sauce, but sometimes my kid wants meat. So here is where we make a choice.

Vegetarian:

Add 2 cans of tomatoes and cover the top of that mixture with Italian seasoning. If you don’t have any, you can use oregano, basil, parsley or any combination thereof. Don’t be stingy. There is a lot of sauce here, so you need to cover the top. If you have bay leaves, throw those in at this point. If you don’t, don’t stress it. Stir well, cover the pot, reduce heat and let simmer for several hours.

You are welcome to blend it when done if you like a smooth texture, or leave it. Up to you.

Meat:

Add 2 lbs of of ground meat to the vegetables. Any kind, any blend as long as it has fat. Ground turkey is okay, but get the fat kind, otherwise it is dry as dust. When that has released all the fat and then reabsorbed it (yes, they call that browning, not greying the meat) reduce the heat and add 2 cans of tomatoes. Cover the top with Italian seasoning, and add the bay leaves.

Stir it up and let that bitch simmer for several hours on low heat.