Grandma's Sunday Sauce
Sundays, and any day that needs fixing
Where it came from
Great-Grandma (Mom's side)
· the original, from the apartment over the bakery
Grandma (Mom's side)
· written down at last, after 40 years of "a little of this"
Mom
· learning it now, supervised closely
The story
It must be made in the heavy pot with the loose handle. Great-Grandma has been offered six new pots over the years and has declined all six. The recipe below was transcribed by Mom over two Sundays while Grandma cooked and protested that measuring ruins it.
The original card
Scanned from the recipe box. Stains preserved on purpose.
Photo of the original handwritten card
Ingredients
- Olive oil, more than feels right
- Six cloves of garlic, crushed with the flat of the knife
- Two cans of whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
- Basil, torn, never cut
- A rind of parmesan, dropped in whole
- Salt, "until it tastes like Sunday"
The way she makes it
- Garlic into the oil on low heat while the kitchen is still quiet.
- Tomatoes in when the garlic smells like the stairwell (her words).
- Basil, rind, salt. Lid half on.
- Leave it alone for three hours. Stir only when passing by.
- Serve to everyone within smelling distance.