So you’ve filled up on yesterday’s appetizers and sweets, hope you saved room for the main course. These recipes are straight from Grandma Agatina’s recipe box. But a word of caution, she didn’t measure some things. No good Italian would!

Tomato Sauce

1 can (6lb. 60z) of CRUSHED tomato sauce
Olive Oil
Garlic cloves (or sometimes I used minced garlic)
Salt
Parsley
Basil Leaves
Oregano
Meat is optional (sausage and ground beef can be put in sauce uncooked)

Cover a big pot with Olive Oil. Add garlic minced or chopped and brown. Remove browned garlic or if it’s not too brown I leave it in.

Add tomato, add spices (I usually lightly cover the top of the sauce with each spice) and let simmer ALL DAY! Add more spices to taste. The longer is simmers the better it tastes. I use half the sauce and then freeze the other half in a baggie.

Baked Ziti easier than Lasagna and just as good!

Ziti Noodles
Tomato sauce (See recipe above)
Ricotta Cheese(1 large container) Please don’t use cottage cheese and call this an authentic Italian dish!
Mozzarella Cheese 1/2 cup, I usually add more!
Parmesan Cheese (the real stuff, not Kraft please) 1/4-1/3 cup
Eggs, 1 or 2

Boil Ziti. In mixing bowl combine all ingredients, excep. In baking dish combine ziti with mixture. Add sauce until well mixed. Bake at 350 until cooked.

Pitzi Utzi (Italian Meatloaf)

Ground Beef, 1 lb.
Eggplant, 1
Bread Crumbs
Egg, 1
Tomato Sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan and spices

Boil eggplant and mince with skin on. Mix eggplant, meat, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan and spices. Shape like a meatloaf, or like my grandma did, large oval meatballs. Place in baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Then cover with sauce and mozzarella cheese and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until done.

What’s an Italian meal without bread? I haven’t made this recipe in a LONG time, but you may want to try it. It’s typically Italian, crusty on the outside, soft on the inside. The recipe also makes great pizza dough.

Italian Bread

Flour, 5 lbs makes 2 pies and 1 bread or 2 breads an 1 pie
Oil 4 oz.
Eggs, 2
Salt, 1/2 cup
Water (Your guess is as good as mine. I’d start with 1/2 a cup)
Yeast block (Do they have those any more?)

Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Knead until soft and bubbles appear. Let rise an hour. Form loafs or pie, let rise another hour.

Bake bread at 350 for an hour.
For pizza, cover pie with tomato sauce and bake at 450 for 20 minutes. Add mozzarella and other toppings. Bake another 5-10 minutes until done!

Mangia!

If you’re not too stuffed, tomorrow I’ll have some fun party games! Did you know I used to be the social chairman of my floor in college?

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