The New York Times reprinted it in the last decade, and I’m sure it’s also been passed on through social media or whatnot.
Ahhhh. My aunt grows Roma tomatoes in her garden, and picks and peels, blanches, and freezes the overabundance. We make sauce out of them all year long. Nothing better! You just can’t beat garden tomatoes.
I simmer about 4 cups worth until they unfreeze, then mash therm with a potato masher; meanwhile, I have sauteed an onion and half a green pepper with a few cloves of mashed garlic, oregano, basil, and a few other seasonings, in just 1/4 c. of olive oil. Add some diced mushrooms. I simmer it all together for 20 minutes, then add some salt and black pepper.
Sooooooooo good.
I have never had pasta sauce that good anywhere. I’m sure it’s the ripe-picked, home-grown tomatoes.
Also, I have never had mac & cheese as good as the recipe I got from my mother, which also involves my aunt’s tomatoes, although even if it used canned, it would probably be good.
I use either the Roma or the regular tomatoes, fresh or unthawed, and chopped, and a sauteed onion. I cook macaroni, and get really good sharp cheddar, and unsmoked Gouda, and layer the macaroni, cheese, onions and tomatoes, 2 layers of each, with cheese on top, and then just a little tomato. Bake in a casserole dish, covered, for 45 minutes on 300’F.
Also very, very good.
Have never had anything in a restaurant that can even touch the mac & cheese, or any lasagna or spaghetti dish made with that sauce.
Nothing could touch pies or strudels made by people in my family either. And there were creations, like apple-blackberry pie, or blueberry strudel, with Maine blueberries.
We also have pastry recipes in the family that you can’t find in stores or restaurants, and creations of old and new world sensibilities, like cherry sufganiyot, or our yeast-recipe hamantashen, with all kinds of fillings besides the prune and apricot you get from E. Europe.
Also, the bagels my aunt taught me to make are the best this side of NYC. I don’t think they are better than real New York bagels, but they are the best I have ever had outside of New York City, no lie.
I am preparing sauce for some pork inasal today, and had to open a new container. The brand is UFC and it is labeled Banana Catsup (Tamis Anghang). This was brought back from the Philippines, not purchased domestically. There might be some labeling regulations that prevent imported bottles from being called catsup.