Posted by The Times Tribune, PA on January 27, 2010 at 17:33:59:
Local Flavor: Moms and daughters pass down marinara sauce through five generations
By Josh McAuliffe (STAFF WRITER)
Moms and daughters pass down marinara sauce through five generations
Some families pass bridal gowns and jewelry down through the generations.
For the women of Melanie Murphy Yee's clan, it's marinara sauce.
And after one taste, there's little doubt why this edible heirloom has such sentimental value. Not bad for a group of Irish ladies without even the faintest trace of Italian blood.
Mrs. Yee's Nana's Marinara Sauce and Meatballs was crowned winner of this week's edition of The Times-Tribune's new Local Flavor: Recipes We Love contest. The Hill Section resident received a $75 gift certificate from Rossi's ShurSave Market, the contest's sponsor.
Meanwhile, Simpson resident Mary Ann Wiggins was awarded the $25 runner-up prize for her Banana Bread recipe, which can be found online at www.thetimes-tribune.com/localflavor.
Mrs. Yee's sauce goes all the way back to the 1890s, when her great-great-grandmother, Mary McAndrew McLain, supposedly learned it from her Italian neighbors.
From there, the recipe was passed to Mrs. Yee's great-grandmother, Catherine McLain Boston, who passed it to Mrs. Yee's grandmother, Patricia Boston Poch, who passed it to Mrs. Yee's mom, Judy Murphy, who passed it to her daughter when she was around 13.
"Melanie has taken over the sauce," Mrs. Murphy said. "She does it better than I do."
Here's how old school this recipe is - until Mrs. Yee submitted it for the contest, it had never been written down. And, like any good oral tradition, it's been subject to a few tweaks here and there. For instance, Mrs. Yee replaced the original garlic powder with whole cloves of garlic.
Mrs. Yee tries to make the sauce at least once every couple of weeks, usually on a day off from her job at Penn Foster Career School.
"Because it takes so much time," Mrs. Yee said. "It makes for a nice Sunday dinner."
On a dreary recent Friday afternoon, Mrs. Yee whipped up a big, steaming pot - enough to serve five, she said - at her mom's West Scranton home.
The centerpiece of the sauce is three types of canned tomatoes - Tuttorosso crushed tomatoes with basil (an absolute must, Mrs. Yee said), Contadina tomato paste with Italian herbs and tomato sauce. From there, it's two large onions, a breath-shattering seven cloves of garlic and "60 shakes" of dried basil. That's right, 60.
"I used to sit there and count as my mother shaked it in," Mrs. Yee said with a laugh.
Then come the meatballs, which are, in a word, enormous, roughly the size of a shot put. For them, Mrs. Yee combines a pound and a half of ground beef with big shards of onion, more garlic cloves, grated cheese, salt and pepper, two eggs and Italian-style bread crumbs. While some folks like to brown their meatballs, Mrs. Yee cooks hers entirely in the sauce.
After two hours of simmering, the sauce is ready to be devoured. It's everything it should be - the sauce luscious and robust, the meatballs moist and packed with flavor. Served with a crusty loaf of Italian bread, it's the perfect rib-sticking meal for a cold winter's day, one that should be eaten in the company of family and friends.
"You don't get much of that anymore, families bonding together, mothers and daughters spending quality time together," Mrs. Yee said.
"Nobody takes the time to cook anymore," Mrs. Murphy added. "And you know, it doesn't take that much time. It's healthier for you, and it tastes better."
Contact the writer: jmcauliffe@timesshamrock.com
Nana's Marinara Sauce & Meatballs
Serves 5
1 large can Tuttorosso crushed tomatoes with basil
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
2 small cans Contadina tomato paste with Italian herbs
2 large onions, diced
8 cloves garlic, chopped
60 shakes dried basil
4 tomato paste cans water
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
For sauce: In large sauce pan, add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, onions, garlic cloves and basil. Combine ground beef, remaining garlic and onion, eggs, bread crumbs, cheese and salt and pepper in large bowl, then form into individual meatballs. Add meatballs to sauce, then simmer for two hours.
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