In Czech, 'polivka' (polevka) translates 'soup'!!
"I come from a family where gravy is considered a beverage."
~ Erma Bombeck
Thought I would take a turn at posting a recipe from time to time...
When I was newly married (many moons ago), my husband and I had friends over for dinner in our new home. I was not a cook by any means. In fact, if you ask any of my family members, they would agree. Do not blame my Mom! My wonderful Mother is a great cook and can feed a crowd. However, I did not do much cooking around the house growing up. I did other menial but needy chores, like ironing and dusting. Ok, back to our dinner guest...
We had these friends over and I decided to make Italian for dinner. You know, the usual; spaghetti sauce, pasta, salad and bread. Except, I did what I thought was the usual or the norm and I used a jar of "Prego"*** for my sauce. When we sat down to dinner, our female dinner guest asked me what I put in my home-made sauce. Uhhhh, I did not know what to say. What did Prego put in my sauce? And another thing...why did we invite a full Italian dinner guest over for dinner AND why did I serve her Prego?? She went into detail and shared all the natural, fresh ingredients and all the wonderful bits of goodness she uses in her sauce which were all passed down from her sweet, Italian Gramma! :) Embarrassing!!
Never again! I vowed to perfect a pasta sauce, with (or without) meat, for our family and not open a jar of Prego again. I am not Italian but the Polivka family has approved heartily!
"Saucy Spaghetti Sauce" in the Polivka Pot
If using meat, brown your meat, drain and set aside. (I use lean gr. beef and add italian sausage sometimes) *fyi- I am pescetarian and will have my sauce without meat. :)
1 lg can of crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
1 can of tomato paste
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
2 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 Tbs olive oil
2 tsp chili powder (add a little pepper flakes for a bit of a kick!)
1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Fresh herbs - several generous tsp of each (I use fresh if in season or available)
~ basil
~ oregano
~ parsley
Mix all these ingredients together in a stew pot OR emulsify all ingredients first.
Cook on med heat until a good simmer occurs. Add meat. Simmer for an hour more and serve over pasta of choice. (Our family likes bow-tie pasta or angel hair pasta)
Variations:
Add fresh spinach to the sauce (emulsify it in the earlier stage and no one will suspect and you have the healthy greens added) :)
Add any of the following: chopped broccoli, diced onion, cubed zucchini, chopped mushrooms or red peppers
Tips!
-Can not find fresh herbs or out of season? TRADER JOES has 'herb cubes' in the frozen food isle and most grocery stores carry LITEHOUSE Freeze-Dried herbs which are a good substitute.
-Cuisinart SmartStick Hand Blender - an emulsifier is an absolute 'must have' kitchen tool! Wonderful for sauces and soups!! Can not give this enough stars.
-Use kitchen scissors to cut up fresh herbs into the pot.
***disclaimer: I have no issues with Prego products. I just felt I could do it better and set out to prove myself right! :-) And the Polivka Pot is a success!!
"Spaghetti can be eaten most successfully if you inhale it like a vacuum cleaner."
~ Sophia Loren
