Lorena Mariani shared this family spaghetti sauce recipe alongside instructions for her holiday dried fruit house in a newspaper feature many years ago. The original made enough to feed a small village (or the whole Mariani clan), so we’ve updated portions to feed a small family, but we’ve kept all of the flavors from the Mariani Family tradition. Like every great sauce, there’s some patience required, but the wait is worth it–this spaghetti sauce is meaty, rich in flavor, with just a touch of sweetness from the prunes.
4bunches green onionssliced (use the whole onions)
56ouncescans whole plum tomatoescrushed (2 large cans)
1 ½cupschicken or beef broth
4-5clovesgarlicminced
½cupchopped Italian parsleyplush more for garnish
1 ½tspchopped fresh oregano
1tspchopped fresh marjoram
1 ½tspfresh thyme
1tspchopped fresh rosemary
1tspallspice
½tspground celery seed
½tsponion powder
½tspgrated nutmeg
1tspfresh-cracked black pepper
2bay leaves
5ouncebourbon
½cupRiesling or half-sweet white wine
8pitted California prunes
Fresh-grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
Warm a large skillet over medium heat, then add the ground beef and Italian sausage, breaking up large pieces. Once the fat from the meat starts to render, use a wooden spoon to stir and continue breaking apart any larger clumps. Add in the mushrooms and scrape the pan. When the meat is mostly browned, stir in the green onions and continue cooking until thoroughly wilted. Drain off most of the grease and set the meat and mushroom mixture aside.
In a large Dutch oven or sauce pot, add the tomatoes with their liquid, chicken or beef broth, minced garlic, parsley, chopped herbs, spices, and bay leaves. Crush the tomatoes to break them apart, then stir in the reserved meat, mushrooms, and cooked onions.
Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in the bourbon, white wine, and prunes, then lower the heat to a low simmer and cook, uncovered, for 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adjusting seasoning to taste.