The World’s Best Marinara Sauce (American-style)


A dear friend of mine went to Italy on a cruise a few years ago.  They took a group excursion into Rome one day, and, as they sat at a trattoria one of the women in the group loudly whined, “Why can’t we just get some real Italian food -- like at Olive Garden?”

Now, that’s wrong on soooooo many levels...
But there is a grain of truth in it.  Italian food in Italy is not the Italian-American food served at most restaurants in the U.S.  And that’s surprising to some American travelers.  Italian pizza does not always have sauce, for example, and the crust is generally very thin and crispy -- almost like a cracker.  Pasta dishes tend to be simpler, the plates smaller.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen garlic bread in Italy.  And a latte is a cup of hot milk, not a coffee drink. 

Most Italian restaurants in the U.S. serve an Italian-American cuisine.  And I’m not saying that’s a bad thing!  Each region in Italy boasts a distinctive palate.  Where large groups of immigrants from Milan settled in the U.S., there polenta and risotto may be more prevalent than pasta.  Where the immigrants came from Venice, delicate seafood dominates.  And where the Sicilians settled, tomatoes abound and the spices tend to be a bit... spicier. 

Me?

I’m partial to New-York-Little-Italy-style Italian-American food.  Rich, hearty, and flavorful.  And I have a marinara recipe that simply is fabulous.

I can’t take credit for this recipe.  It has been a family favorite since my mom saw it in a newspaper long ago.  Brava! to whoever created it.  It is delicious!
The World’s Best Marinara Sauce

2 1/2 cloves minced garlic
5 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
pepper
28 oz. can Italian pear tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1/2 c. red wine
1 teaspoon sugar
1 bay leaf

In a large pot, saute the garlic, parsley in olive oil.  Stir in all of the other ingredients.  Bring to a boil and simmer (covered) for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Remove the bay leaf. 

A Note: this recipe makes for a very chunky sauce.  Not a fan of chunky tomato sauce?  Me either.  I use a stick blender or a regular blender to make it nice and smooth after removing the bay leaf.
I use it as sauce over pasta, on pizzas, in lasagne... anywhere.  I usually double this recipe and freeze part of it in individual servings:
  1. fill muffin cups with sauce
  2. freeze them
  3. pop out the “pucks” of sauce and store in a ziplock baggie -- perfect to microwave for one person.
Buon Appetito!

Update: January 21
You might remember my visit to the Mercati Rialto a few months ago.  Today Venice Daily Photo has an image from Venice's famous market along with a recipe for a fresh tomato sauce, Venetian-style.  Enjoy!

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Travel and Service

Today I'm pausing to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -- his life, his work, and his legacy. He was a remarkable man. Last year I blogged about the historic sites and memorials across the country which pay homage to Dr. King.
Link:  The Gypsy's Guide: Martin Luther King, Jr.: Historic Sites and Memorials (view on Google Sidewiki)

And today my pledge remains in place: follow my blog or leave a comment, and I'll make a donation in your honor to the relief efforts in Haiti. For more information, check out Help for Haiti.

"With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
"And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
"And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true."


Help for Haiti


How can you help in Haiti?
During January, My husband and I will contribute $1 to ELCA Disaster Response in Haiti for the first 200:
  • new followers on The Gypsy’s Guide 
  • new subscribers on The Gypsy’s Guide (via email or in a feed)
  • unique comments made on the Gypsy's Guide
Spread the word!  Anyone want to match it? Contact me!  Additionally, I make a very small commission off of each purchase at the Gypsy’s Store, and for the month of January, I will donate all of those moneys as well. So go shopping!

100% of contributions made to ELCA Disaster Response will be used for relief efforts in Haiti.

If you want to make contributions of your own, I’ve included links to both ELCA Disaster Response as well as the American Red Cross in the left-hand column.

Reading about Haiti
Much of what I know about Haiti, I’ve learned from reading the works of Haitian-American, Edwidge Danticat. An extraordinary storyteller, Danticat uses darkness and light like the warp and weft, creating a fabric of island life that is both substantial and real.
It struck Princesse that this is why she wanted to make pictures, to have something to leave behind even after she was gone, something that showed what she had observed in a way that no one else had and no one else would after her. The sky in all its glory had been there for eons even before she came into the world, and there it would stay with its crashing stars and moody clouds. The sand and its caresses, the conch and its melody would be there forever as well. All that would change would be the faces of the people who would see and touch those things, faces like hers, which was already not as it had been a few years before and which would mature and change in the years to come.
-- from Krik? Krak!
Danticat now lives in the United States, but her family lives in Haiti. Despite the fact that she is waiting for word from her family, she took time this week to recommend a few books about Haiti for people interested in learning more about the country.
I’ve included all of her suggested reading in The Gypsy’s Store, and I encourage you to check them out. I also included her own books -- Krik? Krak! and Breath, Eyes, Memory -- both of which are gorgeously written and powerful works.

Update: Jan 15 @ 6 pm
Welcome to all of you who come by way of the LA Times Travel blog: Help Haiti through your Travel Connections.  Thanks to @JenLeo for the mention!

And, I'm happy to say other bloggers have been inspired as well.  Make your way to Got Passport where if you make a comment they will make a donation to Partners in Health's Haiti efforts. 

Have you been to Haiti?  Tell us about your experiences there and your reflections on the situation there today.  Remember, we'll be donating $1 in your honor!