Homemade tomato sauce, family recipe we call "Pasta Campalfi." While vacationing in Tuscany, my family and I stayed in a 400 year old stone house, which was part of a family-owned bed and breakfast. On day four out of ten, the owners knocked on our door and told us that they were leaving for the weekend then proceeded to ask us if we could do them a favor and eat the fresh vegetables and herbs in the garden while they were gone so they wouldn't go to waste... And so began the creation of my very not-at-all Italian family's first original Italian recipe.
Fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, sautéed onions, spinach, oregano, salt, pepper, freshly grated parmesan. Simmer for about an hour, hour and a half. Use fresh pasta.
FYI each time you make this dish the color may come out differently, however, it will always be just as delicious every time.
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This is definitely my go-to, not enough energy but I'm craving homemade sauce (or I don't have any jarred sauce and don't have the money-- or energy to buy some right now). Make sure you sauté the onions separately before you put them in the sauce. I prefer my sauce to have layers and to be chunky, but if you so wish, you can put your mostly completed sauce in a food processor. BEWARE, if you have chopped onions and something like spinach, they will change the entire flavor dynamic of the sauce once they are pureed. I may even suggest to puree the sauce before putting in the extra chunky stuff, unless you like it completely smooth.
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This one I made with my boyfriend, whose family actually is Italian... Meatballs from scratch. He also added some sausage, which he cooked in a pan and cut into pieces (more like chunks)
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Probably one of my prettier sauces. Perhaps because I used my favorite cast-iron pan...? I also used homemade pesto (Thank you to my sister and mother for teaching me how, Lu, that summer you spent in the wicked hot greenhouse paid off for my cooking skills, thank you for the sacrifice!!!)
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This one I included homemade ground bison meatballs that I stuffed with blue cheese. Holy moly, this is an incredibly rich version of spaghetti and meatballs. If you can't hang or your people can't hang, serve these as an appetizer with toothpicks and make something else for your main dish.
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I will admit, meatballs in sauce doesn't photograph as well as when it's on top of fresh pasta. However, I could eat meatballs with sauce on its own for days and be completely content.
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