Serious pasta sauce questions....

[bicentennial_baby]

Ok, I'm going to tackle this thing....Wednesday is the day...

Main questions: I'm going for my mom's all-out recipe, containing pork chops, hot and sweet italian sausage...Do I need to cook them first, or will they cook within the sauce, as I will be simmering for at least 2-3 hours?

Also, If I am using, let's say 1-2 small chops, 4 sausages....How much of everything else will I need? Olive oil, tomatoes, etc.

Thank you in advance for helping me with my lame-ass questions. :D

[Stinky The Clown]

1. No such thing as lame-ass questions ......

First ... if you'll be cooking the meat in the gravy for 2 to 3 hours, it will all be fully coooked when the gravy's done.

But consider this. The pork chops and especially the sausage will give up a lot of fat to the gravy. You can skim it off at the end, leave it in there (it adds a ton of flavor), or avoid it in the first place by par-cooking the meat and then adding the lowered fat meat to the gravy.

I usually do the third option. You still get most all the flavor and a bit of fat, but not nearly as much as just cooking it all at the same time, from raw.

[Warpy]

2. Back in the good old days when I ate meat

I'd sear the meats first, get a nice fond in the pan, and deglaze it with a little red wine. All the flavorful wine and browned bits would end up in the big sauce pot. The grease would have been poured off first, of course.

[book lady]

8. Just my humble opinion,

but why would you want browned bits in your tomato sauce. My family uses pork neck bones to flavor the sauce.

[Warpy]

9. The Maillard reaction, of course

adding a depth of flavor that raw meat in water or tomato sauce just won't give you.

You're not going to see the deglazed bits in the sauce, you know. A couple of hours of simmerng will break them down completely and yield their flavor to the sauce.

[mike_c]

11. this is also why you want to ROAST THE BONES before...

...making beef or lamb stock.

[bicentennial_baby]

3. Thank You!!

I was hoping you would chime in... :)

[eleny]

4. I like to brown the meats first, too

I hope you have lots of fun making it!

[The empressof all]

5. Brown all the meat first

After the meat is browned add a can of tomato paste to the pan. Stir it up and let it cook a bit then add wine (or water). Cooking the paste will give your sauce a deeper flavor.

[xmas74]

6. Follow what Warpy said.

Brown the meat first, add a bit of red wine and maybe some onion and garlic, simmer then add whatever other things you're adding for the sauce.

[mike_c]

7. you want to read about the Maillard reaction....

...and carmelization. It's what Warpy said-- browning meats converts sugars and amino acids to flavors that are not present in unbrowned meats. A good sear-- and don't forget to deglaze the pan-- adds a LOT of flavor.

[bicentennial_baby]

10. Gotcha...

I'll let you all know how it turns out... *fingers crossed*

[Duer 157099]

12. Speaking of deglazing

it's worth noting that certain flavors (aka chemicals) are only soluble in alcohols, which is why deglazing is usually done with wine.

In general, substances can either be dissolved well in water or an alcohol, and if there's a food scientist on board here, they can probably explain why most flavorful chemicals are best dissolved in alcohol rather than water.

So I'm wondering why chicken stock/broth is sometimes used to deglaze? Is it that there's enough fat in it to dissolve the hyrophobic stuff? Or, is it just a poor substitution for a proper deglazing liquid?

[bicentennial_baby]

13. I SO need to read "On Food and Cooking"

Speaking of food science...I really do.

[Warpy]

14. Stock will do a creditable job

of allowing you to scrape the fond off the pan and into whatever you're preparing. Sometimes you just don't want the wine flavor in a dish and some people are completely intolerant of alcohol. It's one of those "Not as good as, but adequate" solutions. The compounds may not dissolve into the water or stock, but they'll still be there.

[yy4me]

15. I always brown meats before adding to sauce, since the color

of the meats will be better when presented in the finished product. Brown meat(poke sausage to allow fat to drain off), drain fat from frying pan(cast iron, what else!), scrape stuck bits and add them to tomato sauce and of course, add meats and allow to simmer for a while. Most people cook the tomato sauce too long. It doesn't take more than an hour of simmer to cook everything and still have a fresh, bright red spaghetti sauce. Worth a mention, the darker the sauce, the longer it has been cooking. I will not eat at an Italian restaurant that serves any tomato sauce that is "maroon". It is not fresh. Cooking too long and holding overnight or for days will cause the sauce to darken It is best when fresh and not over cooked.

Saute an onion and garlic (if you choose to use it) for a few minutes to soften
Add 2 cans Whole Italian tomatoes, and about 1/2 can water.
Add 1 can tomato paste.Plain, not Italian flavored. Mix well to incorporate paste.
Bring to quick boil and then turn to simmer.
Simmer 15 minutes, add more water if needed as sauce will thicken
Add meats
Simmer until meat is done.
Simple as that. Freeze any unused portion. Will keep for ages.
You may have to add another can of Italian tomatoes to your sauce if you use lots of meat, otherwise you will not have enough sauce. Again, thin with water if it gets too thick.
If you make meatballs, add them with the meats.
I do not use sugar in the sauce as we do not like a sweet sauce.

BTW: Meatballs can be browned in the oven, you do not have to mess up the stove by frying them. Just turn them once in the process to brown all sides. 350-360 degrees, bottom rack.

Simple ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs hamburg
salt & pepper
Parm cheese
bread crumbs,
parsley
1 egg
minced garlic clove (small)

This is a good, simple meal that my Italian grandmother used to prepare.
Sometimes she would add about a half cup of raisins to meatballs. Added a certain sweetness to the meat. This would be personal preference.