Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (88 page)
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
For a quick meat sauce that tasted as if it had simmered all day, we discovered a few tricks: Instead of browning the meat, we browned mushrooms to give the sauce browned flavor without drying it out. We blended a panade (a mixture of bread and milk) into the meat before cooking, to keep it tender. Finally, for good tomato flavor, we added tomato paste to the browned vegetables and deglazed the pan with a tomato juice before adding canned tomatoes.
SERVES 8 TO 10
High-quality canned tomatoes will make a big difference in this sauce. If using dried oregano, add the entire amount with the canned tomato liquid in step 2.
4 | ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and halved if small or quartered if large |
1 | slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into quarters |
2 | tablespoons whole milk |
Salt and pepper | |
1 | pound 85 percent lean ground beef |
1 | tablespoon olive oil |
1 | large onion, chopped fine |
6 | garlic cloves, minced |
¹⁄ | teaspoon red pepper flakes |
1 | tablespoon tomato paste |
1 | (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained with ¹⁄ |
1 | tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried |
1 | (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes |
¹⁄ | cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving |
2 | pounds spaghetti or linguine |
1.
Pulse mushrooms in food processor until finely chopped, about 8 pulses, scraping down sides as needed; transfer to bowl. Add bread, milk, ¹⁄
2
teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄
2
teaspoon pepper to now-empty food processor and pulse until paste forms, about 8 pulses. Add ground beef and pulse until mixture is well combined, about 6 pulses.
2.
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add onion and mushrooms and cook until vegetables are softened and well browned, 6 to 12 minutes. Stir in garlic, pepper flakes, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant and tomato paste starts to brown, about 1 minute. Stir in reserved tomato juice and 2 teaspoons fresh oregano, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in meat mixture and cook, breaking up any large pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes, making sure that meat does not brown.
3.
Stir in diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes, bring to gentle simmer, and cook until sauce has thickened and flavors meld, about 30 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and remaining 1 teaspoon fresh oregano and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4.
Meanwhile, bring 8 quarts water to boil in 12-quart pot. Add pasta and 2 tablespoons salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ¹⁄
2
cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Add 1 cup sauce and reserved cooking water to pasta and toss to combine. Serve, passing remaining sauce and Parmesan separately. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
FREEZING PASTA SAUCE
One of the greatest things about making a large batch of pasta sauce is that you can freeze it, for up to 1 month, in smaller batches for easy last-minute dinners. (The exception are dairy-based pasta sauces such as Alfredo, which do not freeze well.) We’ve found that the best way to freeze pasta sauce is to spoon it into zipper-lock freezer bags, then lay the bags flat in the freezer to save space. To reheat the sauce, simply cut away the bag, place the frozen block of sauce in a large pot with several tablespoons of water, and reheat gently over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until hot. Before serving, stir in any additional fresh herbs if desired, and season with salt and pepper.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
This ultra-hearty Italian-American tomato sauce typically calls for six cuts of meat and half a day at the stove. We wanted a full-flavored meal on the table in less than four hours, with no more than an hour of hands-on cooking. To start, we limited ourselves to pork sausage and baby back ribs, and replaced time-consuming braciole with standout meatballs. By combining our sauce components and then cooking them in the oven rather than on top of the stove (which requires constant monitoring), we could leave our sauce unattended for most of the cooking time.
SERVES 8 TO 10
We prefer meatloaf mix (a combination of ground beef, pork, and veal) for the meatballs in this recipe. Ground beef may be substituted, but the meatballs won’t be as flavorful. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute 6 tablespoons of plain yogurt thinned with 2 tablespoons of milk.
SAUCE
2 | tablespoons olive oil |
2¹⁄ | pounds baby back ribs, cut into 2-rib sections |
Salt and pepper | |
1 | pound hot Italian sausage |
2 | onions, chopped fine |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons dried oregano |
3 | tablespoons tomato paste |
4 | garlic cloves, minced |
2 | (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes |
²⁄ | cup beef broth |
¹⁄ | cup chopped fresh basil |
MEATBALLS AND PASTA
2 | slices hearty white sandwich bread, crusts removed and bread torn into small pieces |
¹⁄ | cup buttermilk |
1 | pound meatloaf mix |
2 | ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped fine |
1 | ounce Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (¹⁄ |
¹⁄ | cup chopped fresh parsley |
2 | garlic cloves, minced |
1 | large egg yolk |
Salt | |
¹⁄ | teaspoon red pepper flakes |
¹⁄ | cup olive oil |
1¹⁄ | pounds spaghetti or linguine |
Grated Parmesan cheese |
1. FOR THE SAUCE:
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Pat ribs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Brown half of ribs well on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer ribs to large plate and repeat with remaining ribs. After transferring second batch of ribs to plate, brown sausage well on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to plate.
2.
Add onions and oregano to fat left in pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until very dark, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in crushed tomatoes and broth, scraping up any browned bits. Nestle browned ribs and sausage into pot. Bring to simmer, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook until ribs are tender, about 2¹⁄
2
hours.
3. FOR THE MEATBALLS:
While sauce cooks, mash bread and buttermilk in large bowl using fork. Let stand 10 minutes. Mix in meatloaf mix, prosciutto, Pecorino, parsley, garlic, egg yolk, ¹⁄
2
teaspoon salt, and pepper flakes using hands. Pinch off and roll mixture into 12 meatballs. Transfer meatballs to plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
4.
When sauce is 30 minutes from being done, heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Brown meatballs well on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to paper towel–lined plate. Remove sauce from oven and remove fat from surface using large spoon. Gently nestle browned meatballs into sauce. Cover, return pot to oven, and continue to cook until meatballs are just cooked through, about 15 minutes.
5.
Meanwhile, bring 6 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 2 tablespoons salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ¹⁄
2
cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.
6.
Using tongs, transfer meatballs, ribs, and sausage to serving platter and cut each sausage in half. Stir basil into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 cup sauce and reserved cooking water to pasta and toss to combine. Serve, passing remaining sauce, meat platter, and Parmesan separately. (Sauce and meatballs can be cooled and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Many Italian meat sauces rely on pork for rich flavor. But we wondered if today’s lean pork would give enough fat and flavor to the sauce. We tried pork chops, but they turned dry and leathery in our sauce during the long cooking time, so instead we used a fattier cut—country-style pork ribs. Country-style ribs turned meltingly tender and gave the tomato sauce a truly meaty, rich flavor. Beef short ribs can also be used, but since they tend to be thicker than pork ribs, it’s important to remember to let them cook a little longer.
SERVES 4 TO 6
This sauce can be made with either beef or pork ribs. To prevent the sauce from becoming greasy, trim all external fat from the ribs.
1 | tablespoon olive oil |
1¹⁄ | pounds beef short ribs, pork spareribs, or country-style pork ribs, trimmed |
Salt and pepper | |
1 | onion, chopped fine |
¹⁄ | cup dry red wine |
1 | (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained with juice reserved, tomatoes chopped fine |
1 | pound penne, ziti, or other short, tubular pasta |
Grated Parmesan cheese |
1.
Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Pat ribs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Brown ribs well on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes; transfer to plate. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon fat from skillet, add onion, and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer and cook until wine reduces to glaze, about 2 minutes.
2.
Stir in tomatoes and reserved tomato juice. Nestle browned ribs into sauce, along with any accumulated juices, and bring to gentle simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently, turning ribs occasionally, until meat is very tender and falling off bones, 1¹⁄
2
hours (for pork spareribs or country-style ribs) to 2 hours (for beef short ribs).
3.
Transfer ribs to clean plate, cool slightly, then shred meat into bite-size pieces, discarding fat and bones. Return shredded meat to sauce, bring to simmer, and cook until heated through and thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
4.
Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ¹⁄
2
cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Add sauce to pasta and toss to combine. Add reserved cooking water as needed to adjust consistency. Serve immediately, passing Parmesan separately.
Use only beef short ribs for this recipe.
Add 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, ¹⁄
2
teaspoon ground cinnamon, and pinch ground cloves to softened onion and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Use only pork spareribs or country-style ribs for this recipe.
Substitute 3 minced garlic cloves and 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary for onion and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
