Dinner Is Served: Ricetta Di Pasta Della Mia Famiglia

I created the KPI Cafe to spread thought leadership on digital marketing for automotive retail. It expanded to include other topics, such as as company culture, work-life balance, and others to elevate the lives of those who choose to listen in. I continue to be grateful to every person who has ever given me five seconds of his or her time.

A friend of mine recently shared a blog she wrote on how to show the "real you." Well, I grew up in a family who came to the United States in the 1940s from Italy and Ireland. Yes, paternal and maternal grandparents were from the same two nations. My mom's side came from Naples, who all had olive complexion, brown eyes, and black hair; my dad's side, I came to find out, came from Rome. They had lighter complexion, green eyes, and brown hair. While I tend to look superficially more like my father's side, my facial structure definitely comes from my mom's.

For as long as I can remember, my mom made sauce taught to her by her mother, who learned from her mother-in-law -- the mother-in-law who had come from Naples. With access to new ingredients, the sauce is Italian-American. And it's something I take so much pride in. And it's something that I want to share with you today because it's definitely "the real" Dane Saville.

So you can either go with all-natural ingredients or use some store-bought items. I haven't perfected the all-natural version to get as robust of a flavor as I do with store-bought; however, you cannot beat the fresh taste of all-natural.

Ingredients for Sauce and Meatballs

6 Garlic Cloves

1 Cup Freshly Chopped Basil

1/2 Cup Freshly Chopped Parsley

1/4 Cup Freshly Chopped Oregano

1 Bay Leaf

1 Half-Rack Pork Spare Ribs

1 1/2 Pound Ground Beef

1/2 Pound Ground Pork

1 Pound Ground Veal

Kosher Salt

Olive oil

2 Cups Italian Bread Crumbs

3 Cups Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 Egg

*If you have a meat grinder like I do, you can order the best cuts from your local butcher.*

All-Natural - 50 Roma tomatoes (I use a sauce attachment for my Kitchen Aid)

Store-Bought: 3 Large Cans Contadina Tomato Sauce, 1 Large Can Contadina Tomato Puree, 4 Small Cans Contadina Tomato Paste (and use one of the large cans, fill it with water, and add to the pot with all of the other canned tomato ingredients)

Here We Go!

If you're doing all-natural, cut your roma tomatoes in half and put all of them through the processor. Take about six full cups and put into a hot over high heat, then stir in 2-4 tablespoons of kosher salt, reduce heat to medium, and stir frequently as it simmers for around 45 minutes. As you see it thicken, continue to slowly reduce the heat.

With a few minutes remaining, go ahead and preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Take a 12"x17" baking sheet, spread the thickened sauce evenly across the entire sheet. Put it in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Take it out, stir it around and re-spread it into a 1/8" thick rectangle so you can avoid forming a crust. It now won't cover the entire sheet, so remove any bits of sauce that cling to the edges or exposed bottom of the baking sheet. Every 20 minutes for the next three hours, stir and respread. When it's thick and sort of sticky, take it out and cool to room temperature.

*If this sounds really intense for you, you can just keep all of the sauce separate and use the four jarred cans of Contadina tomato paste.*

So, regardless of which paste you choose (homemade or canned), put all of the tomato product(s) into a big pot and add 4 more tablespoons of kosher salt.

*If you're doing fresh, let it cook on low-medium heat for about 20-30 minutes, then let cool before you add anything. If you're doing canned, skip that instruction and keep going!**

Turn to your chopped basil, oregano, and parsley that are sitting beautifully on the cutting board. Before you add them, take 4 of your 6 garlic cloves and slice them as thin as possible. Some people use a razor blade, but I carefully take a paring knife and am able to meticulously slice them. Toss all of this into the pot with the sauce and also the 2 garlic cloves -- whoever winds up with a whole garlic clove when you eat will have good luck.

Take your pork spare ribs and quickly brown them over high heat for about 3-5 minutes. Put into the pot.

Take about 1/8th of your ground meats (pork, veal, and beef) and brown over high heat, then put into the pot.

In a big bowl, put in your bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and remaining meat. Add one egg and mix until you you have a great consistency that isn't too dry (if so, splash a little water) or too wet (add a little more breadcrumbs).

Form into meatballs at whatever size you like them. I usually make 6-8 large ones.

Brown them over high heat (the entire ball doesn't have to be browned -- just enough around it so that it doesn't break apart when you pick them up). Add them to the pot.

Turn the heat to low and cook for the next 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Stir more frequently in the beginning, then less as time goes by. About halfway through, toss in a punch (bigger than a pinch but also not a handful) of sugar. Some people use carrots, but we don't.

Do not eat it the same day. After 4 1/2-5 hours, check the taste. Add any garlic powder, onion powder, salt, or anything else to taste.

Take your spare ribs out. Using a fork, strip the meat off the ribs and put back into the pot. I sometimes take the meatballs out to serve separately in a bowl with some sauce so guests can take one if they want. They take more time to heat up as you'll rewarm the sauce on low-medium, so you can start them off first.

Store in the fridge overnight. I promise that the flavors will be so much more robust the next day.

Ingredients for Homemade Pasta

6 Eggs

Bag of Semolina flour

Here We Go!

Pour out about a quarter of the bag and form a mound, then hollow out the center so it looks like a crater. Put in one egg and use a fork to stir it around as you use your other hand to flick more and more flour around of the edge of the crater into it. As it thickens, you can transition to using your hand to manipulate it, folding it over itself, adding flour, and flipping it. You want it so that it's not too dry or too sticky. You should be able to hold it without clumps coming off when you take it out of your hand. Once done, put it into a plastic bag and repeat.

Let the dough sit for about 3 hours.

Use a rolling pin to flatten it out pretty well. I use a pasta making tool that helps further flatten it, then cuts it into spaghetti or fettuccine. There are any number of tools that you can use.

Toss the cut noodles into boiling water for about 30 seconds to a minute, then rinse off and lightly package. If you pack them in too tight, they'll break apart when you take them back out for one last quick dash in hot water the next day.

When you do go to serve the next day, give them a quick shot in hot water, then make sure to thoroughly drain them or it will water down your sauce.

Serve with a fresh basil leaf and freshly grated parmesan.