Recipe

Oma's Meat Sauce

Oma's Meat Sauce

Photo by maud

  • This recipe was entered in the contest for The Best Recipe or Technique Your Mother Taught You
  • Chef

    maud's Notes: Mom used to make this, with spaghetti, about once a week for our family when all five of us kids were growing up. It was my favorite dinner, and now it's my daughters' favorite dinner also...

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Serves 4

  1. Brown the beef over low to medium heat, breaking gently apart with a wooden spoon.

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  2. While the meat is browning, add the onion and garlic powder.

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  3. Drain the fat from the beef by tipping the pan over an old can for disposal (or the sink drain if no one is looking-- I did not say that).

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  4. Add the tomato paste and then 2 (tomato paste) cans of tap water and heat to a simmer.

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  5. Add the basil, oregano and curry powder.

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  6. Taste it and see if it needs a little black pepper.

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  7. Simmer for another 10 minutes and serve over spaghetti with grated parmesan cheese.

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Reply

I make a meatless version of this also-- using Pomi strained tomatoes, sauteed fresh garlic and shallots, and fresh basil-- adapted from a Marcella Hazan recipe which my husband taught me when we first got married (almost 20 years ago)-- but with Mom's curry powder. It's "fresher" but it's not as quick to make, and it's just not Oma's meat sauce.

Reply

there's salt in there somewhere...in my rendition, I add salt when I add the tomato, but am careful to under season and add some later if it needs it....

Reply

Arthur (my brother, a better cook than me, and so a fellow expert) brings up a good point-- salt depends on the brand of tomato paste you use. If your tomato paste is salty, don't add any; if it's not, go ahead and salt to taste. The brands vary wildly in sodium content. Thanks, Arthur!

Photo_3 Reply

I love the addition of curry powder and am going to try it immediately!

Reply

Sounds delicious. I'm going to try it myself!

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