recipes
Grandma Scarito's Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs pork loin
- 2 lbs beef sirloin
- 1/2 lb veal or pork belly
- 1 minced onion
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 1.5 cups grated parmesan cheese
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup parsley
- 3 tbsp basil
- 5 oz Italian bread, cubed
- 1.5 cups milk
Instructions
- Start by sweating down onions and garlic with a little bit of salt, pepper and olive oil, then cool down a bit,
- Dice up the bread and soak in the milk.
- Grind up the meat mixture add salt, pepper, cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, cooled onions and garlic.
- Add the bread but make sure to squeeze out the milk from the bread before adding.
- Mix everything together gently do not over mix keep it light and fluffy.
- Grab about 1 oz and flatten it and sear it in a pan on each side so you can taste and check for seasonings.
- Once happy with the seasonings ball up in your preferred size and sear all the way around in a pan with a touch of oil.
- Add to the pot of sauce to finish cooking and flavor the sauce. At least 25 to 30 minutes.
Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1.5 tsp coriander seeds
- 1.5 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 3 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp Hot Hungarian Paprika
- 1.5 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1.5 tsp pepper
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 4 lbs pork shoulder
Instructions
- Toast fennel, crushed red pepper and coriander seeds, once cooled chop with your knife or use spice grinder,
- Cut all meat in strips to fit your grinder then add all ingredients and mix well with your hands.
- Let it sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour to marinate, or over night for better flavor.
- Grind with medium course grinder attachment,
- Form a small patty the size of a 50 cent piece.
- Sear in a pan, check for seasoning.
Grandma Scarito's Red Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cans 14oz Cento - San Marzano Tomato
- 2 cans 14oz Cento - Crushed Tomatoes
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 medium sized onion, minced
- 10 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp parsley, minced
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 tbsp salt
- 3 tbsp pepper
Instructions
- Start with sweating onions and garlic in the oil till soft.
- Add tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Cook for another few minutes then add all cans of tomatoes squeeze/crush the whole peeled then continue to cook on med low for 45 min to an hour.
- Check for seasoning then add basil and parsley for the last 10 min of cook time.
- Optional: If San Marzano tomatoes are unavailable, add a touch of sugar.
Dog Treats
Ingredients
- 2 cups sweet potato
- 8 strips bacon (keep the bacon fat!)
- 4 cups oat flour (bread or wheat flour works too)
- 1/2 cup Quaker instant oats
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Peel, then puree sweet potato
- Cook 8 or 9 strips of bacon, rendered down, mince and let cool.
- Add bacon (w/ bacon fat), flour, oats and egg.
- Knead, roll out, use your preferred cookie cutter to cut out all the shapes. Dough should be about 1/4" thick.
- Spread out on sheet tray. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, then flip and bake for 15 more minutes.
Sunday Gravy
Grandma Scarito's sunday sauce w/ roasted pork neckbones, sausage,and beef.
Equipment
- 1 sauce pot
Ingredients
- 4 lbs pork neckbones
- 4 lbs italian sausage
- 1 lbs ground beef
- 12 lbs whole peeled tomato can
- 48 oz tomato paste
- 2 whole white onion minced
- 4 whole carrots minced
- 4 tbls garlic minced
- 1½ cups red wine
- 2 tbls oregano
- 4 whole bay leaves
- 5 tbls salt season to taste
- 1½ tbls pepper
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- ½ cup fresh basil
Instructions
- Start by roasting neckbones in the oven at 400° 30 to 45 min
- sweat down carrots, onions, and garlic w/ evoo
- then add ground italian sausage and brown
- then add ground beef and brown
- add the roasted neckbones and scrape all the bits from the tray into the sauce as well
- de-glaze with red wine
- add whole peeled tomatoes and squeeze with your hand to break them up a bit
- add tomato paste
- add oregano, salt, pepper and bay leaves
- make sure all neckbones are covered if you have to add a bit of water add as needed to cover, then let the sauce simmer for about 5 hours or until the bones seperate from the meat. Discard all bones then add fresh herbs right at the end.