Funny

[DonnaPellegrin]

A hint to all the cooks out there who make their own sauce or gravy. Next time you do a pot, use San Marzano tomatoes. That's not a brand but rather the region near Mount Vesuvius where the tomatoes are grown. Something about the ash content in the soil gives them a sweetness which my wife swears by.

Biff83, I am going to try these. My sauce has never been as sweet as desired and always a bit too acidic. Next time I make sauce I will use the San Marzano tomatos and I will let you know how they turn out.

[Biff83]

Donna,
The San Marzanos do cut down on the acidity. We don't use them for a quick red sauce but rather for the gravy that takes all day to cook. Sauteed onions followed by browning the sausage and meatballs in the same pan, then adding that to the peeled San Marzanos--which are pureed first, tomate paste, garlic, basil and Italian parsley. My wife also adds an inexpensive piece of lamb for additional flavor. Slow cooked to perfection in Nonna Lucia's kitchen.

We use the La Bella brand which is available at our local Italian specialty store. Why La Bella? Rumor has it that it's the preferred brand in the Vatican kitchen. There are other brands out there also which I'm sure are just as good. Make sure they're the imported San Marzanos and carry the DOP (Denominazione d'Origine Protetta) mark which ensures their authenticity.

[nuccia]

Here in Toronto, we call it sauce or sugo..in New York, my family calls it gravy. We make our own tomato sauce every year in late summer/early fall. I buy my tomatoes by the bushel (sometimes I even pick my own at the farm)

My other favorite is what New Yorkers refer to coffee...espresso is called black coffee and American or perked coffee is called brown coffee.