Just like Mama Leone’s In New York. When I was a bit younger, I was living in New Jersey and had an opportunity to meet my mother and some of her friends in New York for a few hours. She chose Mama Leone’s as the place to go. I was amazed at the atmosphere, the food and the great time. A few weeks ago, almost 30 years later, I met a man whose father was one of the chefs at Mama Leone’s. He used to watch his father make the sauce and shared with me the ingredients of the sauce.
Here is his rendition based on his time in the kitchen of Mama Leone’s.
SERVES 10
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 4 to 5 hours
Ingredients
- 16 ounces tomato puree
- 16 ounces tomato paste
- five cans of water from the tomato cans you’ve used (about 80 ounces water)
- 6 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 lbs lean hamburger browned
- 1 lb ground pork – browned
- 2 medium onions, chopped and sautéed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- a small pinch off thyme
Directions
-
Put all ingredients (except the meat and onions) in a large pot.
- Stir well and bring to a boil. Continue to stir occasionally until it boils, so the cinnamon is incorporated.
- Reduce to a simmer and cook for three to four hours. Continue to stir occasionally. You can boil it but the flavors don’t mix completely. This is with time.
- Remove and discard bay leaves.
- What to do next if you intend to serve this sauce over pasta. Sauté the beef until it loses most of its pink coloring, then add the onions and sauté until tender.
- Drain off any fat.
- Add meat mixture to cooked sauce and stir well.
- Heat the mixture well, then ladle over pasta.
Cook for 5 to 6 hours
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