I love nothing more than a good family tradition, especially one which corresponds to the changing of seasons. Although I do not yet have a family of my own, I've decided to get a head start over the past couple of years and start my own traditions (many of which I've simply adopted from my parents and our family growing up).
One such tradition is the annual pasta sauce making day. Growing up in California we were lucky enough to have a garden FULL of juicy tomatoes, basil and any other fruit/vegetable you can imagine. This not only led to amazing home cooked meals but a plethora of homemade pasta sauce to freeze and eat throughout the year. I don't have the luxury of growing my own vegetables but I do continue to make pasta sauce from the family "recipe" each year. Nothing is better on a cold snowy winter evening then thawing some homemade sauce and enjoying a nice big warm bowl of spaghetti.
I won't divulge the whole recipe but below are a few of the ingredients/steps which make the sauce so delicious and tasty:
1. Start with a LARGE pot (this year I will be investing in a 16-20 quart Le Creuset)
2. Get the juiciest, freshest tomatoes possible (I use a mix of fresh, canned and tomato paste)
3. Porcini Mushrooms: this to me is the key deliciousness factor in our sauce. Soak dried porcini's in boiling water for a few hours before chopping and adding.
4. Bulk hot italian sausage (sans casings) to give things a slight kick
Combine with a whole lot of vegetables and love and enjoy for the whole long, cold winter (and year!)
XO
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