"Our family is blessed with a heritage of great cooks, serving our noisy tables with a bounty of delicious meals. One of our traditions was to visit Nonna & Nonno after Sunday mass, when she would serve course after course of traditional Italian dishes and we would eat until we couldn’t move. Our favorite treat was her opening presentation - a giant bowl of homemade pasta drenched in the most delicious tomato sauce I have ever tasted, even to this day. Few people in the family had her recipe, and when I was finally able to track it down recently, it became a staple in our household. I remember an old aunt emphatically telling me over and over, 'You gotta use the Mazola!' I have since dared to try it with olive oil, and it still turned out perfect. For other family recipes, each person confirmed that if you don’t use the same brand they used back in the day, it just wasn’t quite the same. I suggest you try it as handed down, and then experiment with your homegrown tomatoes or favorite brands. Mangiamo!" - Laurie A.
2-3 tablespoons Mazola Corn oil (or olive oil)
1 inch cube of salt pork, chopped
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 bone-in pork chops with tenderloin, fat removed
1.5 pounds ground beef
2 - 29 ounce cans Hunt's tomato sauce
1 - 14.5 ounce can Hunt's diced tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano
3 ounces Hunt's tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt & pepper to taste
Yields
Approximately 4 quarts