Evening star., 1948-04-27
Readers Clearing House
SPAGHETTI.

from Mrs. r. E. LcB., Olney)
Suggestion to Mrs. c. E. L., Wash
ington: Recipe for spaghetti sauce
given me by my italian mother-in-
law and relished by my husband.
One-and-a-half pounds ground beef
or hamburger (even hamburger that
is only fair tastes good when cooked
by this recipe). Several polk chops
Cor spare ribs or ground pork. One
No. 2 can of tomatoes, ! can
tomato paste, can tomato puree
Cor second can tomatoes in place
OF puree). One medium green bell
pepper, l large onion, stalks
celery, 21z dozen raisins, egg, Q
slices bread mot fresh), a little
garlic, parsley, mushrooms, salt and
pepper. Parmesan cheese.
To make the meat balls, mix the
ground beef (and the ground pork,
II you are using that with "a onion
chopped fine, a the celery chopped
fine, 2 slices bread (not fresh, damp
ened with water, squeezed dry and
crumbled), one egg, pepper and
about II teaspoon salt. Shape into
balls, making IL to Is. Into center
OF each ball thrust 3 halves raisins
(these keep meat ball moist and i'm
part excellent favor. Fry meat
balls until nicely brown. They Yill
be added to tomato mixture at Sec
ond simmering. If you prefer some
loose ground meat in spaghetti
sauce, brown 4 to II of the loose
ground beef and also any ground
pork you are using and add 1t to the
sauce at the beginning. Or you may
add the ground pork to the ground
beef when making the meat balls.
When adding meat balls to sauce,
add the grease they were fried in.
In large aluminium kettle put
the tomatoes, paste and puree. Add
cups water rinse out the tomato
cans with it, Turn up heat under
1t to simmer. Add one chopped
green bell pepper. q chopped onion,
q OF the chopped celery, one dozen
raisins cut in half (they cut acidity
OF tomato, impart meaty favor
chopped mushrooms if desired, pars-
ley If desired, IS teaspoon garlic
If desired, IL teaspoons salt, or to
taste, u teaspoon pepper COR to
taste). Allow this to simmer, stirring
occasionally so it won't stick, until
1t becomes fairly thick. Then add
y or 2 cups water and allow to
simmer down again. Dilute with
water third time also, but this
time cook it down only to desired
thickness for serving, IF pressed for
time, omit third dilution and SIM
mering down.
Add the meat balls to the sauce at
the second simmering. If using
pork chops, add them when you
begin third simmering, since they
fall apart if cooked too long. Add
the grease the chops were fried In
as well as the grease from the meat
balls. Dip some of the sauce into
the frying pan so the tomato will
absorb all the grease and Drowned
particles. Other meats may be
added, such as roast beef, veal and
chicken. The earlier meat Is added
TO the sauce the better the flavor.
The sauce is finished cooking when
III mas acquired a meaty flavor and
the acidlty of the tomato is gone;
1t also becomes dark in color rather
than tomato red, This entire process
requires at least 3 hours cooking,
You can cut down on preparation
time by first making the meat balls
and preparing the other ingredients
while the meat fries. With the meat
cooked you can leave the kitchen,
checking occasionally to add in
gredlents as directed. This recipe
yields 2 quarts of sauce with meat)
at least IL to Is large servings,
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese when
served.