How About Trying Some Authenic Italian Pasta Sauce? - Carmine's Italian Lamb Shank Pasta Sauce

     First off, I need to tell you that this recipe was given to me by my son-in-law's father Carmine who was born in Italy. The first time I had this pasta sauce was when our granddaughter was born, and they came to stay with us and wanted to make dinner for us.  

     Of course I asked him for the recipe.  He made this Italian pasta sauce with lamb shanks.  It simmered most of the day, and when we recently visited our daughter's family, her husband made this pasta sauce for my birthday dinner.  Of course, pasta is his family's favorite meal.




Carmine's Authentic Italian Lamb Shank Pasta Sauce

1.  Prepare vegetables:
(1)  Chop 1 large onion.
(2)  Mince 5-8 cloves of garlic
(3)  Chop up 1 red bell pepper.
(4)  Chop 4-5 basil leaves.
(5)  Chop 2-3 sprigs of parsley.

2. Prepare the pasta sauce:
(1)  In a stainless steel skillet put 2 T of olive oil and sauté the onion, and red bell pepper.  Towards the end add the garlic, as Carmine told me it gets bitter if it cooks too hot or for too long.
(2)  Add to the pot 1 cup of red wine, and boil it out a bit.
(3)  Then add 2 large cans of Italian tomatoes (my son-in-law prefers using Delallo whole peeled tomatoes that are imported from Italy), and 1 large can of tomato paste.  This will make a thick, rich sauce.
(4)  In a separate pan brown the lamb shanks or ground beef if you don't want to use lamb.  Add meat to the pasta sauce.
(5) Stir in1 Tof salt and 1/2 t of black pepper.
(6)  Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 1-3 hours.  You can always add this to a crock pot so you don't have to worry about it scorching. Carmine told me the more it simmers, the more flavor it will have. 

3.  Add other spices 5 to 10 minutes before serving:   Stir in the basil and parsley.  Taste and make any flavor adjustments.  If it's too thick, add a bit of water.

Be sure to serve it with freshly grated Parmesan, and, of course, garlic bread, and a green salad.  

Other Italian & Greek Pasta Recipes on This Blog:

Italian & Greek Chicken:

Incredible Gluten Free Chicken Souvlaki   (My son-in-law's marinade recipe--so good!)

Chicken Cacciatore with Peppers & Mushrooms  (My mother-in-law's yummy recipe!)

You've Got to Try This Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan!  (From my church cook book, Come & Dine)

Pasta Casseroles:

Delicious Gluten Free Chicken Tetrazzini     (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)

 Classic Pastas:

My Mom's Splendiferous Gluten Free Spaghetti  (My mother's amazing sauce!)

Ginger's Family Favorite Gluten Free Beef Stroganof   (From my friend Ginger)

Gluten Free Pasta Aioli - Sausage & Vegetable Penne  (My son-in-law's Italian recipe)

Incredible Gluten Free Pasta Primavera     (Combination of two Internet searches)

Fantastic Gluten Free Salmon Fettucine 

Easy to Make Gluten Free Shrimp Linguini   (From my Syre School Cookbook)

Mac & Cheeses:

Fantastic Gluten Free Macaroni & Cheese  (Modified from Heritage School & Internet search)

Gluten Free Comfort Food - Downright Delicious Gluten Free Tuna Noodle Casserole  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)

Pizza:

Judi's Gluten Free Crazy Crust Pizza -  Spinach, Artichoke & Feta Pizza (From a friend)

Soups:

This is the Best Minestrone Soup!  (From my son's Internet search and tweaking)

Mouth Watering Italian Turkey Sausage Soup   (This is my friend Debbie's delicious recipe)

Salads:

Tasty Gluten Free Pasta Salad   (I've been making this salad for over 20 years!)

Jeremy D's Sensational Greek Salad  (From my son-in-law who is half Italian!!)

Michelle's Greek Quinoa Salad   (My foodie daughter came up with this great way to use quinoa)