Nothing better than a saucy butt.

My grandmother Vittoria put all kinds of porky things in her sauces, including butt as well as, my favorite, pigs' feet. Yummmmmm.

My only tip is to make sure that your butt is on the fatty side. A lean butt dries out (even in the sauce) and, more importantly, it doesn't add much flavor to the sauce.

Enough double entendres?

Joe

Yep....always use some pork in my sauce...and if I am just making a small pot of sauce (Travesty!) I will use ground pork so I can just use a 1/2 pound or so.
Linda C

I've had spaghetti sauce with pork hock, spareribs, chicken, etc. Here's a good recipe that my uncle gave me.

Spaghetti Sauce

3 onions, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
2 large cans tomatoes, mashed
Salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 small cans tomato paste
1 can dry red wine or water (tomato paste can)
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp oregano leaves
½ tsp rosemary
¼ tsp thyme
4 tsp marjoram
1 tsp tarragon leaves
½ tsp basil
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 mint leaves, crushed
2 bay leaves
½ tsp cayenne
2 chilies, finely chopped
1½ Tbsp Romano cheese
1½ Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

In a large pot over low heat, fry onions and green pepper in a little olive oil until onions are translucent. Add garlic and chilies and cook for about 1 minute; do not let garlic brown or it will become bitter. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for several hours.

You can add browned ground beef, cubed chicken, sausage, pepperoni, pork hocks, spareribs, etc., or any combination.

*If adding pork hocks or spareribs, skim off some of the fat that has accumulated at the top before serving.

My mom always added pork to her sauce. As Joe says it needs to be a fatty cut, something you would braise.

My Mom's favourite addition was side ribs or even short ribs.

...and unfortunately my butt is on the fatty side....

Yep! When I make "gravy" I do! I didn't know it was a butt - lol. I go to the Italian Pork Store and ask for a piece of pork for sauce - LOL. It is actually quite lean.

If I don't have that then I just throw in a pork chop or two. My husband goes crazy for it!

Wow, my secretary says her Mom always put a pork roast into the spaghetti sauce. I'd never heard of such a thing and now, here, all these people, putting their butts in the sauce. Go figure. (grin)

Annie

so you just put a whole fatty butt into the sauce and take it out before serving?

ok, stop it, I'm not kidding! lol!

Oh Annie, isn't this forum FULL of surprises?!?!?!

lol...doesn't Lou's sauce recipe have all that stuff in it???
I don't do sauce/tomato gravy very well..maybe that's the problem..I left the butt out???? ROFL

LOL, putting your butt in the sauce.
Another reason never to use that stuff in a jar, unless you have a very lean butt.

DH is the sauce meister here, and often puts pork bracciole in as well as the meatballs. He makes it in a big pot, but I keep my butt out of it.

If I say something, he says, BUTT OUT, this is my domain, no ifs ands or butts...

When I buy a big pork butt for pulled pork I have the butcher cut it in half so it fits in my crock pot. I am the pulled pork maker, so DH does not butt in on that! LOL

Did you hear the one about the butcher who backed up into his meat grinder? ...

He got a little behind in his work.

Joe

Nothing better than a saucy butt.

ROFLMFBO!--Rolling on the floor laughing my fat butt off(!)

Oh gosh, I have been known to put all sorts of things in my sauce. Ground beef (I generally grind my own, so it's more lean and I know what's in it), spicy Italian sausage, pork butt or shoulder, turkey thighs, eggplant, all sorts of mushrooms, julienne roast beef (leftover), char broiled tri tip slices, roasted pepper chunks, even chicken.

The household fav is ground beef & Italian sausage. I'm waiting for my should-be sister in law (my brother is gun shy) to teach me how to make her meatballs when I visit this summer. She's Italian and learned from her mother. They're big as baseballs, and as light, tender and flavorful as you can imagine. I've only ever made smaller ones that remind me of meatloaf.

My uncle Al (also Italian, uncle by marriage), who I only got to know late in life used to make huge pots of sauce and drop smaller pots of it off for my father. He's the one who got me thinking about other meats than just ground beef in my sauce. Half the time you weren't sure what you were eating, but gosh, it was good.

May I butt in? Adding pork to your favorite spaghetti sauce really does pump up the flavor.

Rachelellen, AnnT's recipe for Mama's Meatballs is really good. Have you seen it? I make them baseball size. I can post it if you don't already have it.

Nancy

I have not seen it, Nancy, and I tried a search when I read your post...unsuccessfully, I might add. If you can post it, that would be great, I can compare notes with my should-be sister in law through email. She's never written the recipe down, she just makes them, but maybe if she had a recipe in front of her she could tell me to add this, or remove that etc. In the meantime, I can try the recipe as is, since it comes with a recommendation. My husband's eyes would pop out if I handed him a plate of spaghetti with a baseball sized meatball on top!

Good one Shaun!!!

Just ran into a problem.... I don't know how to copy the recipe when it's a Acrobat Doc. which is what I have Ann's recipes on. It won't let me just highlight and copy....

HELP!!!!!!!

Nancy

Ahhhhhh the wonders of Google!

I think I figured it out, let's see....

Mama's Meatballs and Tomato Sauce

posted from Thibault's Table - AnnT
==================================
For the tomato sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 onion, chopped
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
28-ounce can puréed tomatoes
12 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn by hand
Salt and fresh pepper, to taste
For the meatballs:
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 large sweet onion, rough chopped
4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 to 3 pinches chili flakes
2 to 3 pinches salt
Olive oil, to coat hands and for browning meatballs
Cooked spaghetti (optional)
Make the sauce: Heat oil in a large saucepan. When oil is hot, sauté onions
until translucent. Add the crushed, puréed and chopped tomatoes and basil,
and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and fresh pepper; set aside.
Make the meatballs: Place the chicken stock, onion, garlic and parsley in a
blender and purée. Set aside.
Place the meat, breadcrumbs, eggs, grated cheese, chili flakes and salt in a
large bowl. Add the puréed chicken-stock mix. Using your hands, gently but
thoroughly combine all ingredients, being careful not to overmix the meat.
Coat your hands with a little olive oil and form the meatballs.
Pour oil in a large skillet to a depth of about 1/2 inch and place over
medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, brown the meatballs, turning once.
Add as much of the tomato sauce as you desire, and bring to a simmer. Cook
until meatballs are done. Serve over spaghetti, if desired

There I did it. Couple of extra steps there.

Nancy

Send me the recipe Nancy and I think I can copy it. I use the full blown Adobe program here at work.

dgkritch@datalogic.com

Deanna

I worked on a TV show once where Tony Danza made his sauce with butt (yeah, that just doesn't sound good, does it? But the sauce was very good.) When I had a bumper crop of Roma tomatoes, I made a slooowwww cooking sauce with -- let's just call it pork shoulder, shall we? -- and it was amazing. I used Tony's recipe. Haven't made it in a while but what a good sauce butt makes.

Actually, Tony Danza's butt sounds really good:)

My Italian Mother and Grandmother both put pork of all kinds in the sauce.

DGM started the sauce before anyone got up in the morning. She would then poach eggs for the family's breakfast in the sauce.

I also throw in several cheap bone in pork chops. At the end of the day I fish out the bones and it's so good. I stopped doing this when I started to think about all that fat absorbed in the sauce but I bet it would be great with pork butt. It's not the same with only hamburger.

When I'm feeling porky I throw in some Italian sausage.

Otherwise, I'm just generous with the olive oil.

Jim

Terri : Thanks! I've worked on this Sauce for years and have gotten away,
from Sauteeing Onions and Garlic.
I have found that the simplest way works best.
Get the same results or even better.
So why go thru all the hassle ?
Put a big pot on the Range and start adding everything .

To get more Pork flavor than the Sausage , I'll throw in some Pork Chops.
Nothing new to add Pork to the Sauce. I use all kinds of meats, including Chicken.
That is one of my favorite but I have to add a lot of Sausage too.

Everyone has their own tastes and I try to cook food accordlingly.

And! everyone's recipe is the Best in the World. Bull Carp!
They are all Good. If YOU like them.

So I'll put my recipe in once again. Maybe someone may be brave enough to try it.

PIZZA SAUCE and SPAGHETTI SAUCE ( Gravy )
At one time, I used Pizza Sauce which is crushed Tomatoes and Puree, with Basil.
You can use canned tomatoes but make sure they are Italian or a deep red color.
Some choices are Contadina , Red Pack , HuntÂs , All Red, = Tutto Rosso.
A lot of others are sort of orange, red color.
.
PIZZA SAUCE
Try 1 large can of crushed tomatoes and 1 can of tomatoe Puree.
If you need more, Double or triple the recipe.
You have to spice to your own taste. I use only Powdered Spices now.
And get the same results.
Start with 3/4 teaspoon of Garlic pwd.
(add more later to taste)
1 tablespn. of Onion powder. 1 teasp. Salt.
3 teasp. Sugar ( add more if it tastes too acidy ).
An Italian pinch of pwd.cloves.
3/4 teasp. Oregano ( or to taste ) it is strong.
1 teaspoon of Parsley,
1/2 teasp. basil.
1/4 teasp. black pepper.
½ teaspoon + of ( Chicken flavored Soup Base )
Large handful of Parmasan Cheese, after cooking about 1/2 hour. Add water if it is too thick.

Continue for SPAGHETTI SAUCE

This recipe can be used for Spaghetti Sauce
( maybe you would want to cut down on the Oregano )
also just add a can of Tomatoe Paste and water to thin a little ,
if it is too thick it will burn easily. It will thicken as it cooks.
Add to the Pizza Sauce
1/2 cup of fine chopped Onion and 3 bay leaves .
Don't forget the Chicken flavored Soup Base.
Add uncooked Meatballs, Sausage and Chicken Thighs, when you start cooking.
(cook at least 1 ½ to 2 hours ) Take the chicken out when it is done. ( About 1 hour )
Add the Parmasan Cheese only after the sauce is cooked & stir
ALSO !!! season to your own taste. Add more or less of what you like.
Let it cool and take the Fat off the top.

Lou

Thank you Nancy, I have C&Ped it and will give it a try! :D

Vita Greco's Gravy

I saw this woman make this on the Sara Moultan show from the Food Network in 2001. It is very good but does take a while. I have made some changes; noted in ().

If I recall correctly, she is from New York and won a contest sponsored by the Food Network on the best "GRAVY" recipe. She also has a cookbook for sale with other authentic Italian recipes.

I also put mine in the crockpot and took the cover off for the last 4 hours.

Ingredients:
For the meat:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound mixed chopped meat (veal, pork and beef)
2 - 4 pork neck bones
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 small lamb shank

Prepare the meats: In a large skillet, brown all the meats in the olive oil. There is no need to cook the meats all the way through. Remember to pierce the sausage before cooking to allow fats and water to be released. Set meats aside.

For the meatballs:
1 pound mixed chopped meat (veal, pork, beef)
(I used 1 lb beef, 1/2 each pork and veal=14 meatballs)
2 large eggs
1 handful chopped fresh Italian parsley
Black pepper
1/4 cup grated Locatelli Romano
1/2 cup bread crumbs
4 garlic cloves, sliced (minced)
Olive oil, for browning

Prepare meatballs: Combine all ingredients except the olive oil in a large bowl. Form the meatballs with your hands (there should be about 12). Fry in the olive oil over medium heat until browned, but not cooked all the way through. Set aside.

For the gravy:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 to 4 (6) garlic cloves, sliced (I minced)
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
3 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (used 2 puree, one crushed)
Black pepper
Salt
A few pinches sugar
1 handful chopped fresh Italian parsley
8 basil leaves
A few pinches grated Locatelli Romano
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce (didn't use)
2 cups water

Directions:
Prepare the gravy: Saute garlic in the olive oil in the same skillet used to saute the meats. Add tomato paste and cook for a few minutes. In a large saucepot, combine the remaining ingredients except the meats and the tomato paste-garlic mixture and simmer. When the mixture begins to bubble, add all the meats and the meatballs and the tomato paste-garlic mixture. Stir about every 15 minutes, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent burning and sticking. If the gravy seems too thick, add a little water at a time. Simmer for about 3 hours, keeping the lid of the pot slightly askew to prevent condensation of the gravy.

I bought a piece of......... ummmm ........ butt today.

Jeez it looks like I'm the only one who doesn't want any meat in the sauce. I don't even want meatballs simmered in sauce.

My uncle was an amazing Italian cook. He made all kinds of sauces but my favorite was his marinara. A lot of his sauces had meat in like pork or sausages but I was never crazy about them. Everyone else use to rave about it.

He also made the greatest meatballs, best eaten off the plate right after he fried them. Just don't put them in sauce.

Tracey

Cathy :
Is this what you meant?

Poached Egg in Spaghetti Sauce:

{{gwi:1496565}}

I had these this afternoon. Good for dippin. Some, like them Scrambled, poached.

Terri:
They were good in my Sauce. I'll have to try all the others. Must be Great !!!!!

I never realized there was such a difference in Recipes.

Lou

{{gwi:1514145}}

My mother always added a few pieces of bacon. Our sauce has always been buttless.

Lou, Yup, that's it. On spaghetti sauce cooking day grandma's menu was:
BREAKFAST=eggs poached in sauce
LUNCH=when all the guys came home for lunch, DGM scooped out enough sauce to make a pot of pasta e fagioli
DINNER=spaghetti with sauce and various meats baked in sauce
SUNDAY=lasagna made with leftover sauce

I never knew it to vary from this routine and I pretty much use the same schedule--except the eggs (I don't do eggs!). The sauce was an all day production.

Shaun, how was your saucey butt???

Butt of course, it was delicious!!

Kathleeen :
Did you have to Butt in ???

I didn't talk to you for awhile, so I had to Butt in too.

Shawn :
I would like to know too ! No Butts about it.
LOU

I haven't made the sauce yet. I bought the pork butt and cut it up into pieces for 3 batches of sauce. So now I have 3 bags of butt, hee hee!! I'll probably give it a whirl this week or next week.

It's spring break here and my son went to stay with his sister for a week so I probably won't be cooking huge dinners for just hubs and I. We'll see.

No, no Shaun, you aren't suppose to whirl your butt, occasional stirring will do.

Shawn:
Make huge dinners and freeze them in Portions BUTT
Mustangs is right, don't whirl your Butt, you may knock the Pot off the Range.
LOU

Where's Jessy? Missing in action?

You guys are funny!

Well I tried it. I made spaghetti sauce yesterday and put in pork butt. Man oh man is that good! It really flavored the sauce so nicely. I still have 2 bags of butt left!