First Sauce of Summer
It is midsummer and the herbs are begging to be harvested.
From the kitchen of Maryann Liguore
Ingredients
- ½ lb. Italian Sweet Sausage, cut into 1 ½ “ pieces
- ½ lb. Italian Hot Sausage, cut into 1 ½” pieces
- ½ lb. Italian Mild Sausage, cut into 1 ½” pieces
- 1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
- 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 2 28oz. cans of whole peeled plum tomatoes (I prefer San Marzano)
- 1 28oz. can of tomato Puree
- 1 quart of stock (recipe below)
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- ½ cup fresh curly parsley, chopped
- ½ cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
- ½ cup fresh basil, torn into small pieces
- ¼ cup fresh oregano leaves, chopped
- 1 Bay leaf, whole
Stock
- 1 ox tail
- Several pork hocks
- Salt
- 3 or 4 whole bay leaves
- One whole large Vidalia onion, unpeeled, only with root cut off
Instructions
TO PREPARE THE CASALINGA:
Place the pieces of Italian sweet, mild and hot sausage in a large pot and brown well. Spoon off all but enough fat from the sausage to sauté the onions and garlic. Add the chopped onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent.
Add the entire contents of the cans of peeled tomatoes. Add the tomato puree, a quart of stock and stir. If the sauce appears too thick, add more stock. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Add chopped parsley, basil and oregano. Add the whole bay leaf. Simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes.
TO PREPARE THE STOCK:
Place all ingredients in a large stock pot. Cover generously with water and bring to a boil. Simmer until everything has fallen off of the bones, about 12 hours. Skim off the fat. Remove bones, then strain with a sieve, leaving only the liquid. Unused stock can be put into freezer bags and frozen for later use.
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