Roccos Red Sauce Recipes

ROCCO'S WING SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the margarine, hot sauce, jalapeno, cayenne, red pepper flakes, Lefty's Vinaigrette, black pepper and garlic in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring often so as not to scorch. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container.
• Whisk together the red wine vinegar, canola oil, olive oil, parsley, vinegar, salt, dried basil, mustard powder, dried oregano, sugar, black pepper and garlic in a large bowl. Bottle and refrigerate for at least 24 hours to let the flavors bloom. Shake to blend before using.

ROCCO'S LITTLE CHICAGO DEEP-DISH KITCHEN SINK PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Carefully turn out the pizza dough onto a floured countertop. Flatten into a disk without folding the edges, making sure the dough is round and all bubbles are pressed out. Roll to about 14 inches in diameter. Grease a 12-inch pizza pan with the olive oil, making sure to coat the sides. Carefully lift the dough into the pan.
• Add the mozzarella to the dough, pressing it into the corners and flattening it out evenly. Follow with the pepperoni, red onions, green peppers and mushrooms. Finally, sprinkle with pieces of sausage no larger than a nickel. Spoon sauce onto the toppings, smoothing over until it is about 1/2-inch from the edge of the dough.
• Finish the pizza with an even sprinkling of Parmesan, and pop it onto the center rack of oven. Start checking the pizza after 15 minutes. Bake until the dough is nicely browned and the cheese is toasty at the edges, 15 to 30 minutes.
• Allow the pizza to cool slightly, then transfer to a plate or pan. Wait a few more minutes before cutting into 8 wedges. Serve with more grated cheese and crushed red pepper flakes.
• Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and allow to proof for about 10 minutes.
• Mix together the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast mixture to the flour and stir until ingredients are roughly combined. Add the oil and mix together. If you're using a stand mixer, mix about 4 minutes until the dough ball starts to become smooth, adding a little flour if it isn't pulling away from the sides. If you're kneading by hand, turn the dough out onto a cutting board and knead until fairly smooth, adding flour if dough is overly sticky.
• Form the dough into a ball and place it in a large bowl greased with a small amount of oil. Sprinkle the top with some flour and then cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise slowly in the refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours, or allow it to rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours. The cold-rise method yields a better product with a finer texture and flavor, but sometimes you just want to eat a pizza!
• Drain the can of whole tomatoes in a colander set over a large bowl and crush them into teensy pieces with your hands. Throw the crushed tomatoes into a large bowl. (Reserve the tomato liquid for bloody Mary's, Spanish rice or tomato soup; either way, it's not going into this sauce!)
• Add the tomato puree, tomato paste, olive oil, oregano, dried basil, marjoram, pepper, salt, sugar, fresh basil and garlic to the drained tomatoes and mix well. Allow the flavors to marry for at least 1 hour or refrigerate.

ROCCO'S FAMOUS HOT STICKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Turn out the pizza dough onto a cutting board. Flatten the dough and press out the bubbles. Pull the dough into a rectangle roughly the size of a sheet of notebook paper. Dump out the wing sauce into the center of dough, and use a spoon or cake server to evenly spread the sauce all over the dough.
• Cut the sauced dough in half the short way, then cut each half further into 3 even strips. Grab the ends of one strip and fold the sauce side over onto itself, twirling the dough strip into a tube so the hot sauce is inside and the white dough is on the outside.
• Transfer the dough twirls to a cookie sheet, making sure they do not overlap. Bake on the center rack of the oven until browned but still soft inside, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Cut in half, pile onto a serving tray, and serve with your favorite blue cheese or ranch dressing for dipping.

CLASSIC RED SAUCE

Steps:

• Puree the tomatoes to a smooth, creamy consistency in a food processor or with an immersion blender. (If you like a more country feel, you can wait and break them up in the pan later with a wooden spoon.)
• Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. When hot, add the onion and saute 5 to 6 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until you see the color start changing. If you'd like to make the sauce spicy, add the red pepper flakes.
• Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer about 30 minutes. (If you did not puree the tomatoes, use a wooden spoon to break them into pieces while they cook.) Strive for balance in the consistency of the sauce: It has to be fluid, but it should not look overly wet. Add the basil and remove from the heat. Toss with just-cooked pasta.

MAMA'S MARINARA SAUCE AND MEATBALLS

Steps:

• MAMA'S MARINARA SAUCE.
• Cook the garlic and onion in the olive oil in a sauce pot over a medium-low flame, about 10 minutes or until garlic is tender and onions translucent, not brown (this is called "sweating" because it will draw out a lot of moisture and flavor).
• Add all the tomato products. Pour the chicken stock into one of the 28-ounce cans. Fill it the rest of the way with water and add that and the sugar to the pot. Stir and bring to a simmer. Taste and season with red pepper flakes and salt, and cover. Simmer the sauce for about 1 hour. The sauce should be fairly thin but not watery and very smooth. Uncover and simmer for 3 minutes. If it is too thin for your taste, add a little water if it seems thick.
• MAMA'S MEATBALLS.
• Place the chicken stock, onion, garlic, and parsley in a food processor and purée.
• In a large bowl, combine the puréed stock mix, meat, bread crumbs, eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, red pepper flakes, and salt. Combine with both hands until the mixture is distributed evenly. Do not overmix.
• Put a little olive oil on your hands and form the mixture into balls a little larger than golf balls. They should be about ¼ cup each, though if you prefer bigger or smaller, it will only affect the browning time.
• Pour about ½ inch of olive oil into a straight-sided, 10-inch-wide sauté pan and heat over a medium-high flame. Add the meatballs to the pan (working in batches, if necessary) and brown the meatballs well on all sides. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes.
• While the meatballs are browning, heat the marinara sauce in a stockpot over medium heat. Lift the meatballs out of the sauté pan with a slotted spoon and put them in the marinara sauce. Stir gently. Simmer for one hour.
• Serve with a little extra Parmigiano-Reggiano sprinkled on top.

ROCKY'S RED SAUCE

Steps:

• Cover bottom of large stockpot with olive oil.
• Add the onions and saute till onions are almost clear.
• Add garlic and continue to simmer on low 5-10 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and tomato puree, top off with all seasonings and sugar.
• Let simmer on low and stir occasionally.
• Use for spaghetti, lasagna and pizza sauce.
• Freezes very well in ziplock bags or plastic containers.

MAMA'S MARINARA

Steps:

• Cook the garlic and onion in the olive oil in a sauce pot over a medium-low flame, about 10 minutes or until garlic is tender and onions translucent, not brown (this is called"sweating" because it will draw out a lot of moisture and flavor).
• Add the chili flakes to taste.
• Add all the tomato products.
• Pour the chicken stock into one of the 28-oz cans.
• Fill it the rest of the way with water and add that and the sugar to the pot.
• Stir and bring to a simmer.
• Taste and season with salt and cover.
• Simmer the sauce for about 1 hour (the sauce should be fairly thin, but not watery and very smooth).
• Uncover and simmer for 3 minutes if it is too thin for your taste; add a little water if it seems thick.

ROCCO'S HOW LOW CAN YOU GO LOW-FAT MARINARA SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add the olive oil. Add the garlic and onion, and season them with salt and crushed red pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion and garlic are translucent, about 4 minutes.
• Add the tomato puree, water, and Parmigiano-Reggiano rind to the pot. Bring to a simmer. Then cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 25 minutes.
• With the back of a knife, bruise the basil and stir the sprig into the sauce. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Season with salt and crushed red pepper to taste, if desired. Serve, or store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

HOMEMADE ITALIAN RED SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute onion and garlic in hot oil until onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Add water, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, baking soda, and sugar; season with salt and pepper. Stir mixture, bring to a simmer, and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 2 hours.