Cuisine Featured: Italian
The Melting Pot section is where we have placed recipes for cuisines brought to America by the many immigrants to our shores. Over the years these cuisines have been Americanized, i.e., most viewers of our site have probably been exposed to many of these cuisines, either via the dining-out route or, perhaps, directly within our own families due to the multi-ethnic makeup therein. As an example of this multi-ethnicity within a single family, I can cite my own case-- My family consists of the following ethnicities: English, Irish, Scottish, German, Polish and Greek. Is it any wonder then that America is called the Melting Pot?
At the bottom of this page, you will have an opportunity to E-mail us and give us your thoughts on this page. We encourage this. After all, we will be tailoring this "Cooking Around the World" series according to the wishes of our viewers.
4 T olive oil 1 six-ounce can tomato paste
½ pound boneless pork, in one piece 2 c water
½ pound chuck, in one piece 1 tsp oregano
1 c finely chopped onions 1 T basil
1½ tsp finely chopped garlic 1½ tsp salt
3 one-pound cans solid-pack ½ tsp freshly ground black
tomatoes and their liquid pepper
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In a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet, heat the oil until it is very hot but
not smoking. Add the pork and chuck, and brown them over moderate heat,
turning them with tongs and regulating the heat so that the meats color
richly without burning. Add the onions and garlic and, stirring frequently,
cook until the onions are soft and translucent. Stir in the tomatoes and
their liquid, the tomato paste, water, oregano, basil, salt and pepper, and
bring to a boil over high heat. Partially cover the pan, lower the heat and
simmer for 2 to 2½ hours, or until the meat offers no resistance when pierced
with the tip of a sharp knife.Remove the meat from the sauce and set it aside. The sauce may be used at once, either on pasta or as the sauce for meatballs and spaghetti, veal parmigiana or stuffed pasta shells. Or the sauce may be cooled to room temperature, tightly covered, and refrigerated or frozen. The meat may be served as a main course with pasta. Makes about 5 cups.
NOTE: To make a meatless tomato sauce, prepare the sauce as described but omit the pork and chuck and simmer the sauce for only 1 hour.
