The Great Marinara Controversy

[caveman]

i'm from the northeast(NY), and i'm italian. to most italians around here marinara and red sauce are two completely different things, but in a restaurant we always refer to red sauce as marinara, just like most other people. if your italian it's gravy, and carrots+celery are absolutely acceptable. base for an italian sofrito, same as mirepoix. marinara is a litely cooked condement anywhere from nearly raw or 5-20 min. often starting with fresh tomatoes. your grandmothers method is pretty much the same as my mothers(no oregano unless it's fresh), i always put carrot in my gravy to cut the acidity a bit, and would never ever use sugar.

 

[caveman]

oh yeah no reason to simmer for very long, maybe 45 min. tops depending on how watery the tomatoes are.

 

[pure instincts]

For me it's usually:
-Brown a few hundred cloves of garlic (crushed), onions, skinned roasted peppers, salt, ground black pep
-Add diced tomatoes (no seeds, no skin usually, but changes on how much health benefit I want), basil, oregano, bay leaves
-Simmer for 45 minutes
-Add sugar
-Simmer for another half hour
-And then at the very end right before serving I do this, which will probably give a few of you a heart-attack for multiple reasons--I add about half a Tsb of mayo per serving of sauce.
Mmm nom nom nom.

Edit: Oh I forgot to mention, if I'm making it especially spicy with some crush red peps, I like to make my marinara thinner with more tomato juice. I don't know why, but thin spicy marinara reminds me of better days long since passed...

 

[dc sunshine]

Not a pro - but a question pops up in my mind (forgive me butting into a pro forum....)

How come almost no-one was taught by their mothers how to cook? (Or so it seems by the comments? I never got to know either grandmother) Most everyone is quoting their grandmother's recipes. (which sound great - I love the slow cook 3 to 4 hours, personally, but if time does not allow, then it can be as short as 20 mins).

Again, sorry for posting in here. 'Tis a fascinating thread....

 

[fl italian]

I was taught to cook by my mother at age 9 out of necessity! She had the German Measles and my father worked 2 jobs and being the my grandparents had never had the measles, they couldn't come into the house. So, I had to cook for the family with instructions from mom's bed!

I made roast beef and mashed potatoes, sauce or gravy for pasta and a number of other things.

50 years later, I'm still cooking and loving it more each time I hit the kitchen so the recipes were from Mom via my grandparents I'm sure...