Making Homemade Tomato Sauce

Speaker 1 0:05

No one ever said life is easy , but I believe by giving yourself permission you will find you have more control over your life than you realize . I'm Julie . I hope you will join me by taking responsibility for yourself , by only controlling the things you can and letting go of the things that you can't . By doing this , you will have discovered the secret to having happy , healthy and more fulfilling relationships . This is Nearest and Dearest Podcast . I'm Julie Rogers and you are listening to Season 2 , episode 14 , The Sauce .

Speaker 1 0:46

Woody and I spent the whole day with Joe and Sharri recently . Joe was ready to share with me my grandmother Mary's tomato sauce recipe . I have never made homemade sauce before . The closest to homemade I would do is to add a little Italian herbs and garlic to my old plain tomato sauce just to make it more to my liking . Because food is always part of our quality time together , having this moment with Joe was very special to me .

Speaker 1 1:24

The cooking lesson was in Joe and Sharri's kitchen . Our day started with a sausage , egg and cheese breakfast casserole that I made . Woody made stone ground yellow grits . He wanted to share a little of his southern roots . After we all enjoyed our breakfast , we put on our aprons and so began the learning . Sharri has a very organized recipe book that she has put together over the years with all of her favorites . She found the sauce recipe that she preserved , which includes the meatball recipe . Both her and Joe respect each other's cooking , and so she was able to relax and enjoy a glass of wine , or maybe two . Whenever we get together at their home , we listen to music from the 50s and 60s . I too will put music on whenever I'm in the kitchen putting together a meal . It just adds a nice touch to the mood . It was a sunny day , so the natural light beamed through the kitchen window and doorway that leads to their deck . Roxy , their Jack Russell, would come in and out of the kitchen with her little nose in the air , smelling all the wonderful aromatic scents that flowed throughout .

Speaker 1 2:57

I took photos of everything we used , saving those memories . We didn't use fresh tomatoes , but canned tomatoes that came directly from Italy . The cool part was using the Italian-made tomato press . It was another first . This press removes the skins and stems . My grandmother , Mary , would use fresh , ripe tomatoes from her garden in her sauce . That process is a whole other journey that someday, I will attempt .

Speaker 1 3:39

Every Italian family has their own secret sauce recipe . The Storino's are no different . The value of such a gem is the ability to pass it down from generation to generation . Without doing so , the recipe can get lost , never again cherished . I'm looking forward to first, executing this recipe on my own , then hoping to share it with Ashley and Sean and my grandchildren . Sharri wasn't the only one enjoying a glass or two of wine . Joe , Woody and I did as well ! Woody wanted to learn the recipe with me . He dove right in listening to Joe's instructions . Along with making the sauce and meatballs , the conversation naturally turned to hearing more memories about my grandparents .

Speaker 1 4:49

My grandfather , Pasquale , worked for New York Central Railroad when he was 15 . From 1941 to 1944 , he worked on a crew building railroad tracks through Pine Camp , which is now known as Fort Drum , home to the 10th Mountain Army Division . He returned to New York Central as a train operator , worked for Penn Central and retired from Conrail as a crane operator in October of 1974 . He also was a self-taught musician . He played the alto horn when he was eight and the mandolin at age 10 . He played with many bands and formed his own band , the Storino's .

Speaker 1 5:46

My grandmother , Mary , whose maiden name was Cirillo , also a native to New York , was an accomplished seamstress . She enjoyed crocheting and embroidery . She played the piano with her father ,Jo seph , at wedding receptions in her younger years . She also was a baker at Mercy Hospital in Watertown , New York for many years until her retirement . She was an avid gardener , canning many of the fruits and vegetables that she grew . Both of my grandparents delivered their homegrown vegetables door to door by horse and buggy and later by truck until 1991 . She enjoyed cooking and baking for her family and friends . She was also an artist and enjoyed drawing and sketching . My grandfather lived until he was 86 and my grandmother until she was 96 . They were married for 63 years .

Speaker 1 7:06

I wish I could have known them , but by Joe sharing Mary's recipe with me , he has created a bond that includes my grandparents, memories that I will always cherish . I have numerous family photos that include some given to me of my grandparents that Joe gave me . I have added them to my corkboard to be part of my own family collection in my studio . Photos of my mom , maternal grandparents , my siblings , Joe and Sharri, Woody , my kids and grandchildren . I love having all of them surrounding me . I value my Italian and English heritage that together have made me who I am . How lucky and blessed am I to learn more about the family roots that I was born into .

Speaker 1 8:17

The moment we all were waiting for ! Sharri uses cloth placemats and napkins whenever she sets the table . I love that ! Beautiful cut blue hydrangeas were in the center . A thoughtful gift from their good friend , Becky . She pulled out a set of pretty Italian made pasta bowls for this special occasion . She made a fresh salad with a light , delicious extra virgin olive oil and white balsamic vinegar . Joe always dresses the salad . His go-to phrase is, "I only use the good stuff . A pasta meal would not be perfect without the best Italian bread ever from Alteri's Bakery in Watertown . Woody sliced it and Joe , as usual , picked up an extra fresh loaf for us to take home .

Authentic Italian Food Experience

Speaker 1 9:22

We enjoyed authentic Italian linguine, pork that was used in the sauce , the special homemade meatballs , Basilio Buda medium Italian sausage links , freshly graded Parmigiano and Romano cheeses . It was so delicious ! I had made chocolate peanut butter no-bake cookies for dessert . We split up all the fruits of our labor . I did leave the cookies for Joe . Sharri gave us a package of Italian made angel hair pasta to be enjoyed with the sauce . I can't express enough in words how grateful I am for this wonderful experience ! Before we left , we gave hugs and kisses . The genuine love that was felt was shared between the four of us .

Speaker 1 10:34

I added the recipe to my collection , which is small , to be honest . I have my mom's peanut butter fudge recipe framed on my kitchen counter . It's in her handwriting . Now I have the first one from my Italian heritage, that will be the nearest and dearest to my heart . The views and opinions expressed by Nearest And Dearest Podcast are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Nearest And Dearest Podcast . Any content provided by Julie Rogers or any other authors are of their opinion . They are not intended to malign any religion , ethnic group , organization , company , individual or anyone or anything . Thank you .