Creating Traditions… and the BEST Sunday Sauce Ever.

 

Written by KT @ One Organic Mama, Contributing Writer

When my husband and I got married as many families do, we had to decide where and how we would spend all the BIG holidays.  As our families live 1-3 hours from where we do – we divided up Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving so we wouldn’t ever have to ‘fight’ about where to spend a holiday and instead focus on being thankful for who we are with and celebrating the holiday.  

Despite our best intentions after this dividing up… I came to really miss my family during Thanksgiving time, it had been my favorite holiday and I missed seeing my cousins and family.  As Italians, growing up, we also used to ‘celebrate’ St. Joseph’s day with fellowship and delicious food, but as my cousins got older this holiday too fell away… this is how “Italian Thanksgiving” was born.

A few weeks before Thanksgiving, my mom’s family assembles.  We bring all of our favorite Italian appetizers, cookies, and together we make pasta, meatballs, and sauce.  Some years we get ambitious and assemble ravioli for 40 people (it always takes longer than we think it will)… other years we have worked out how to make regular and gluten free linguine options… but in the end it isn’t really about the pasta – it’s about being together, squished in the kitchen, sharing our love for each other.  

Instead of feeling like we ‘lost’ a holiday all together, we created a new one.  Now while all of my cousins and my sister and me might divide up for Thanksgiving, we always have the opportunity to be together for our made up holiday.  I have never been more thankful.

The BEST Sunday Sauce

This sauce is made many Sundays in the wintertime.  It is best simmered on the stove all day filled up with meatballs, sweet Italian sausage, and braciole. 

Ingredients:

1. Olive Oil
2. 1 small onion, diced
3. 2-3 carrots, peeled and diced
4. 2-3 celery stalks, diced
5. 5+ cloves of garlic, diced
6. 1 can of tomato paste
7. 1 tsp of Italian spice mix (I bought a bunch in Italy when I was there… you can omit this if you don’t have it)
8. 1tbs+ basil (handfuls if you have it fresh)
9. 1 tsp garlic powder
10. 1tsp onion powder
11. 1 cup of red wine (drinking wine, not cooking wine)
12. 8 tomatoes (peeled – score them and put them in boiling water followed by an ice bath)
13. 48 oz of tomato puree or strained tomatoes
14. Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions: 

1. Sautee chopped onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in olive oil.  Add salt, pepper and secret spice mix. 
2. When veggies are almost soft, add tomato paste (a whole small can of it).  Fry tomato paste until it starts to stick to the pan.  Deglaze pan with wine and sir until the mixture becomes saucy.
3. Add tomatoes, puree, and the rest of the spices.
4. Cook.  
5. Cook longer.
6. The longer you cook it, the better it is!
7. If you’re into meat… add some meatballs, sausage, and/or braciole and cook all day.
8. Serve over pasta, polenta, on pizza, or anywhere else you would enjoy marinara sauce!

If I am using it for pizza I typically would add oregano… otherwise I leave it out.  That is a pizza only spice!

Do you have any “made up” traditions or holidays that you treasure with your family?