EVERYBODY FREAK OUT it's a savoury post!!! up until now my blog has been focused on my breads & desserts. so i thought it was time to get inspired by my italian roots and teach you all how to make a classic marina sauce. this is one of those dishes where i don't exactly follow a recipe when i am cooking it, so feel free to use this as a rough guideline. change up the meat [short ribs, pork ribs, sausage, meatballs.. you get the gist], herbs, cheese, whatever! i grew up watching my grandma's and mom make it thousands of times.
the one year for my birthday (i was only 4 or 5 i swear) my mom was making a huge italian size pot of sauce for a party and left the kitchen while it simmered on the stove. being the little devil child that i was.. i decided to walk up to the stove and turn the burner knob on to high heat. you can imagine the mess my mom came back to when the entire kitchen was splattered with her sauce:) she will never let me forget that story.
ingredients
- extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 beef back ribs
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2-3 springs fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 bayleaf
- 2 680ml jars strained tomatoes (i use molisana, or fresh when available)
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup beef stock
- 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- freshly grated parmesan
directions
- in a large pot on medium high heat, sear the beef ribs in olive oil. remove once browned and let rest.
- in the same pot, add the onion, garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper. lower the heat and cook until the onion becomes translucent.
- add the beef ribs back into the pot, followed by the strained tomatoes, water, beef stock, and carrots. season again with salt, pepper, and a few more sprigs of fresh basil.
- on medium heat, with the lid on, let the sauce slow cook for 1-2 hours.
- once the sauce has become flavourful from the beef and herbs, remove the lid and let simmer until it becomes the desired consistency (about 20-30 minutes)
- finish off with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and freshly grated parmesan.
- remove beef ribs and bay leaf [do not forget to take the bay leaf out before you pure it]. with an emersion blender, blend the sauce until silky smooth.
- shred the beef off the bone and throw meat back into the sauce.
- cook up your favourite type of pasta and enjoy!