Sunday, June 12, 2011

Mob Wives: Renee’s Recipes for Sunday Dinner


Sunday Sauce OR Gravy

The traditional Sunday dinner in most Italian households is pasta and meatballs covered with tomato sauce. And, if you don’t already have your own recipe, or even if you do, you just might want to try Renee’s recipes for tomato sauce and meatballs. Karen Pickus collaborated with Renee in writing these recipes for Good Morning America. I am guessing that Renee pretty much does everything “by eye” and “feel” and doesn’t technically measure anything when she cooks. So in order to pass them along, someone had to interpret the amounts of the ingredients into concrete measurements we can follow.

Tomato Sauce alla Renee Graziano
Difficulty: Easy
Cooking Time: 60-120 minutes


Ingredients
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 Tbs. minced fresh garlic
¼ cup minced parsley
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh oregano
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
3- 28 oz. cans whole peeled tomato
1-6 oz. can tomato paste


Cooking Directions
In a 6 quart pot over medium flame, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic and herbs. Saute' over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes until onion is translucent but not brown. Add the salt and pepper and all of the tomato product. Simmer for 15 minutes then add the meatballs. Simmer 1 ½-2 hours. If using without the meatballs simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove herb stems and serve.

Renee Graziano’s Meatballs
Difficulty: Easy
Cooking Time: 60-120 minutes


Ingredients
1 LB. ground beef chuck
1 LB. ground pork
1 LB. ground veal
5 slices white bread
1cup whole milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbs. minced fresh garlic
2 tsp salt
1½ tsps. freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil for frying


Cooking Directions
Combine all of the meat in a large bowl. Soak the bread and milk together in a separate bowl. When the milk is absorbed, add the bread mixture to the meat. Add the remaining ingredients except the olive oil. Mix well.


Roll into balls 1 ½ - 2 inch round. Heat the olive oil in a 10 inch frying pan.


Fry over medium heat about 10- 12 meatballs at a time until nicely browned. Place in the sauce. Repeat as many times as necessary until all of the meatballs are browned.


Simmer uncovered on low heat until meatballs are fully cooked and the sauce mellows, about 1-1/2 hours. Remove the herb sprigs and serve.


This recipe was styled and developed by chef Karen Pickus for Good Morning America.
 
There is nothing like homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs! These are two delicious recipes that go together. I have tried them and they are far superior to anything you order in any restaurant. A big thanks to Renee for sharing her own family recipes with all of us.


I would like to suggest that Renee write a book of authentic Italian recipes, either recipes that are all hers or a collaboration of “Mob Wives” recipes (on and off the show). Who would not run out and pick up a Mob Wives Cookbook? And another suggestion that could be incorporated into the book is, along with the recipe on one side of the page, the other side of the page could tell a family story or memory of a special event or holiday. I’ll bet it would sell like hot cakes!

Recipe credit: Renee Graziano and www.abc.go.com

7 comments:

Linda said...

Thanks for trying these recipes. Chiara, I agree. Tell me when the Mob Wives cookbook is in print and I'll run to buy it. I already have the car started!

Yesterday morning I went out for my daily bike ride. When I got home, since I live on a semi-main road, someone had tossed an empty pack of Newports out their car window and it landed in my driveway. I took a picture of the empty pack with my bike and house in the background and emailed it to my Mob Wives buddy at work with the caption, "Figures. I go out for a ride and come home to find Renee stoped by while I was out riding."

Chiara Soprano said...

I hope Renee reads the blog and looks into a cookbook. I'll be the first on line...on second thought, she should at least send me an autographed copy for the suggestion, lol.

As for your picture Linda, that was very funny. We have started looking at the world through Mob Wives colored glasses!

Mister Sister said...

Too Bad we're not all close together! We could cook and have a MOB party.

Anonymous said...

So I made the recipe tonight it was the best I have ever tried. I guess now that I know how to make sauce Ragu will be losing money. Thanks.

HoNeYDiPtKiSsEs said...

AWESOME IDEA..RENEE PLEASE DO THE COOKBOOK I WILL FOR SURE BUY ONE MAYBE MORE AND PASS OUT AS GIFTS TO MY NON-COOKING FRIENDS..THIS RECIPE IS TODAY'S DINNER.JUST WISH I KNEW WHAT WINE YOU HAVE WITH IT.PREFERABLY WHITE, FOR RED WINE BRINGS ON MY MIGRAINES..IF ANY ITALIAN LADIES ON HERE CAN SUGGEST A WONDERFUL ITALIAN WHITE WINE I WOULD APPRECIATE IT THANKS.

HoNeYDiPtKiSsEs said...

MADE THE MEATBALLS PASTA AND TOMATO SAUCE OMG SOOOO WONDERFUL..I MEAN WONDERFULLLLLL.....MORE RECIPES PLZZZZZ..EGGPLANT PARMESAN PLZZZZ..TRIED IT IN THE RESTAURANT, WAS ALRIGHT BUT I BET RENEE'S IS BBB-EEE-TTT-TTT-EEE-RRR...PLZ POST SOON PLEASE AND THANKS

Jennifer Graziano said...

Thanks Chiara and Mob Mistress. Renee is putting together a line of cookbooks. Still developing them but I hope all her fans will enjoy!!

You will be the first to know where and when to get them!!