Easy To Modify Marinara I Made It Ii

Easy To Modify Marinara

DIZ3 4 years ago
Recipe: Easy To Modify Marinara
Submitted By: sjbenoist
Date: July 25, 2019

***July 2019 Group Recipe Challenge--Tomatoes***
This marinara sauce is one of the best marinara recipes you will find. The base for this recipe is identical to Giada De Laurentiis’ marinara sauce used for meatball subs. The submitter does give Giada credit. Make no mistake, Giada’s recipe is fantastic and can stand on its own without any changes. The celery and carrots give the tomato sauce a sweet, rich flavor. By the way, I finely chopped the vegetables to avoid large chunks. The submitter’s Traditional Style additions of basil, oregano, and parsley doesn’t hurt the recipe either. It makes it taste more like spaghetti sauce in my mind. I’ll never understand the differences between marinara sauce, spaghetti sauce, or bolognese sauce.

I was craving a meatball sub. Even though this is really stuffed zucchini, I’d like to think of this as a bread free meatball sub sandwich. To make the meatballs, I used the recipe for Sammy Davis Jr Spaghetti And Meatballs.
Flag
LindaLMT 4 years ago said:

Great pictures DIZ! It's an Italian thing to understand the differences between the various tomato based sauces and each region has it's own particulars. I know. Even though I was born and raised in the states my heritage is Italian and true to my ancestors I have my particulars. LOL!!

Flag
mommyluvs2cook 4 years ago said:

I don't know the difference between marinara and spaghetti sauce either! I'm sure Google could tell us though lol ;-) I am always looking for new marinara recipes, bookmarked and wonderful picture!!

Flag
LindaLMT 4 years ago said:

This is the best explanation I found and from a true Italian … Lidia Bastianich.

"Marinara sauce is a quick sauce, seasoned only with garlic, crushed red pepper, and basil. It is best when made with whole San Marzano or plum tomatoes, coarsely crushed by hand or passed through a food mill. Marinara can be left chunky; the texture of the finished sauce is fairly loose, and the taste is that of fresh tomatoes.

Tomato sauce, on the other hand, is a more complex affair, starting with pureed tomatoes seasoned with onion, carrot, celery, and bay leaf, and left to simmer until thickened and rich in flavor. Sometimes a piece of fresh pork meat is added for additional flavor. The taste is sweeter and more complex."

Not quoted … Bolognese sauce has a lot of meat in it in addition to things like onion, garlic, carrots, celery, tomato … and usually a combination of beef and pork. Bolognese sauces can even be white (no tomato).

Flag
eastcoaster 4 years ago said:

Lovely photo DIZ, looks delicious.
San Marzano are the only canned tomatoes I use. The description Linda wrote is right, this coming from another Italian, me:))
I love the look of your zucchini, I’m so hoping ours comes up this year.
Both photos are so nice and clear.

Flag
DIZ3 4 years ago said:

Thank you, LindaLMT! Thank you for sharing Lidia's explanation. I have one of her autographed cookbooks and sure enough there's the recipe for Marinara Sauce. I'm a big fan of Lidia's and have eaten at her Kansas City restaurant several times. On weekends they have a brunch buffet. It's awesome! The food is exactly like the food we had when we traveled to Italy. Not like American Italian.

Flag
DIZ3 4 years ago said:

Thank you, Mommyluvs2cook!

Flag
DIZ3 4 years ago said:

Thank you, Manella! Since discovering San Marzanos, they've become my favorite tomato for sauces. I plant several in the garden every year.

Flag
LindaLMT 4 years ago said:

I've eaten at her Becco restaurant in NYC and it was one of the best EVER!! I had stuffed peppers (of all things) that were out of this world good served with mashed potatoes. I found her recipe for them some years later. Instead of green bell peppers she uses cubanelle peppers. Here it is: https://foodanthology.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/meat-stuffed-peppers/

Flag
DIZ3 4 years ago said:

Hi, LindaLMT! Thanks for the pepper recipe! Our nursery carries a huge variety of peppers. I will have to look for those next year and try to grow some in the garden. She does use some different things compared to other Italian cooks. In her cookbook, and on her tv show, she uses a cheese called Grana Padano. I used to be able to get it at Costco, but they stopped carrying it. It's really good if you can find it.

Flag
LindaLMT 4 years ago said:

Lidia and Mario Batali and my favorite Italian chefs or at least the ones whose taste runs similar with mine.
I've only had Grana Padano when eating at one restaurant, it's good, but our local stores don't sell it. I'll have to check and see if our Italian specialty store sells it next time I go, they bring in a lot of imported items so maybe.

Flag