Kitchen

[Laura14]

@mousiegirl  Could be!  I only visit Iowa from time to time although, as soon as Boss Satan fires me, I'm moving.  I love that state.  I just went and spent most of my time in Northeast Iowa and they were all corn that I could tell but I was born and raised in the Garden State so I love all crops.  

I was just going out to get myself some new containers to start freezing some stuff.  I think my beef stew is going to find its way there.  You make me feel good that my thoughts are on the right track.  I'm still very new to some of this.

I love making sauce!  As an Italian, it's a law.  My grandparents would haunt me if I picked up a jar of Prego.  I don't do meat in my pasta either.  It's heavy enough as is.  

[Preds]

[Winifred]

Preds, thanks for your greeting to get us moving.

Laura, I have a question since you said you are Italian. In the early 50s my family lived in Germany for three years as my Dad was career army. Met the nicest young lady there = she worked for people who lived behind us - and she was a great cook. She made the greatest spaghetti sauce I have ever tasted. My Mother had the recipe and I often used it to make the spaghetti sauce. Somehow that recipe seems to have disappeared - suspect some other family member filched it after my Mother died. The one thing which stands out as it was made with carrots. I remember all of us were so surprised with that but must say it is the best I have ever eaten. Have searched high and low and cannot find a similar recipe anywhere - also can no longer remember what part of Italy she was from. Have you heard of spaghetti sauce made with carrots? Cannot tell you how good it was.

[Laura14]

@Winifred That is a new one on me. Never heard of that. In fact, carrots were not a common vegetable. Peppers, cucumbers, salad greens were our staples. She may have been from Northern Italy which is the lighter Mediterranean diet everyone touts. My family is from Southern Italy and Sicily where you get high cholesterol in the womb. No carrots here.

[mousiegirl]

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@Laura14 wrote:

@mousiegirl  Could be!  I only visit Iowa from time to time although, as soon as Boss Satan fires me, I'm moving.  I love that state.  I just went and spent most of my time in Northeast Iowa and they were all corn that I could tell but I was born and raised in the Garden State so I love all crops.  

I was just going out to get myself some new containers to start freezing some stuff.  I think my beef stew is going to find its way there.  You make me feel good that my thoughts are on the right track.  I'm still very new to some of this.

I love making sauce!  As an Italian, it's a law.  My grandparents would haunt me if I picked up a jar of Prego.  I don't do meat in my pasta either.  It's heavy enough as is.  

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@Laura14  Growing up, almost my entire neighborhood was Italian, so I learned through osmosis how to cook, and so my bent is this, though I do cook Asian and Mexican.  I wish I could give you some of my Lock & Lock, bought way too much.  I gave some to DD and tried to give more, and she told me she had enough, lol.

[Laura14]

@mousiegirl. I appreciate the virtual effort! Snuck out early today to grab some before tax free weekend madness began. 😀

[vabreeze]

@Winifred

Googling 'spaghetti recipes with carrots' will bring up several that may help you recreate the one your mother made.  It just seems that carrots in a spaghetti sauce would be as normal as carrots in a tomato-based veggie soup, i.e., yummy!

[Foggy morning]

Winifred, could your mom's sauce be something like this:

Simple Fresh Tomato Sauce Recipe

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Photovideostock / Getty Images

Updated November 16, 2015.

This simple, fresh tomato sauce recipe is perfect for pasta, pizza and lasagna. The secret ingredient? Carrots, which give the tomato sauce a fresh flavor and add a nice sweetness. Once the tomato sauce is puréed, you'll never see the carrots, but you'll definitely taste the difference.

The tomato sauce recipe calls for two 28-oz. cans of whole tomatoes, but you could substitute crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes or tomato purée.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 (28-oz) cans whole tomatoes, with liquid
• ½ cup olive oil
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 Tbsp Kosher salt (or to taste)
• 2 tsp sugar

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• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes

• Total Time: 60 minutes
• Yield: 6 cups

PREPARATION

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil for a minute over medium heat.
2. Add the onions and carrots, and sauté for a bit until the onions are translucent but not brown.
3. Add the tomatoes and the garlic. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 to 45 minutes, uncovered, until the sauce is slightly reduced. If you like, you can use a wooden spoon to break up the whole tomatoes while the sauce simmers.

1. Remove from heat and pass through a food mill, or purée in a food processor until smooth, working in batches if necessary.
2. Season to taste with Kosher salt and sugar

[mousiegirl]

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@Winifred wrote:

Preds, thanks for your greeting to get us moving.

Laura, I have a question since you said you are Italian. In the early 50s my family lived in Germany for three years as my Dad was career army. Met the nicest young lady there = she worked for people who lived behind us - and she was a great cook. She made the greatest spaghetti sauce I have ever tasted. My Mother had the recipe and I often used it to make the spaghetti sauce. Somehow that recipe seems to have disappeared - suspect some other family member filched it after my Mother died. The one thing which stands out as it was made with carrots. I remember all of us were so surprised with that but must say it is the best I have ever eaten. Have searched high and low and cannot find a similar recipe anywhere - also can no longer remember what part of Italy she was from. Have you heard of spaghetti sauce made with carrots? Cannot tell you how good it was.

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@Winifred  I imagine the carrots added sweetness to detract from the acidity of the tomatoes, I add sugar.  I knew somene once who made it with carrots and celery, which is not the way I make it.

I found this by googling.

"This spaghetti sauce is 'secret' because it has loads of onions and carrots 'hidden' in it. My husband and kids love it - I quadruple the recipe every time and freeze the extra in zip-lock bags."

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound Italian sausage
• 4 carrots, quartered
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (30 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

• 1 (30 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef and Italian sausage in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 10 minutes; drain and discard grease.
2. Chop carrots and onion in the food processor.
3. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir carrots, onion, and garlic in the hot oil until onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Stir ground beef-sausage mixture, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, brown sugar, basil, black pepper, and cinnamon into onion mixture; simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors have blended, about 30 minutes. Season with salt.

[spix]

Evening All

@Winifred I'm Italian, never heard of carrots in spaghetti sauce, so maybe as someone said here it's more northern Italy, my heritage is Sicily.  I make sauce often, actually today, with enough to freeze for more meals, my mother made it every Sunday but it was only enough for one meal (no big freezers in those days) always do have meat, ie meatballs (ground beef, ground pork, ground veal when on sale as veal is so expensive these days) , also mix a lot of romano w/the bread crumb mix, pork neck bones, Italian Sausage, all of this adds great flavor to the sauce.  I don't really have a recipe as it's just what I do as all of my family also did, that's why I can't post recipes here on the forum it's all instinct I guess.

Hope you find the one you're looking for