A Little Sauce Goes a Long Way
By: Farah Vitale
On my way to Whole Foods, I had pictured the creators of Italian Hearts to be a traditional Italian couple and as it turned out, I was spot on. Val and Sal experienced a struggle after losing both their jobs during the recession and they coped by cooking and feeding their friends. Soon they found a way to turn their favorite hobby into a career they love, by selling their special sauces. They’ve been in business for 2 years, sell their products in 30 stores and just won a Northern Nevada Development Authority Pioneer Award as a Nevada based growing business.
Sal’s family is from Acerra, in Southern Italy near Napoli, and Val’s family is from Rome. As a proud Sicilian myself, I was eager to try their sauces and give my two sense. They had three sauces cooking in front of me.
The Bella Amore Sauce is flavored with Val’s Spicy meatballs made from organic grass fed beef and fresh ground Italian Sausage. It’s slow cooked in small batches and seasoned with organic spices.
The Three Meat Sauce is flavored with sweet Italian pork sausage, pork ribs and premium chuck roast. It’s seasoned with organic spices and a dash of red wine.
The Val’s Vegetarian Sauce is made with organic portabella mushrooms, carrots, garlic, red bell peppers and a dash of fine red wine.
I was surprised at how unique each sauce tasted. All were delicious and I was especially impressed with Val’s Vegetarian. Since I’m always on the hunt for unique meals to make, I immediately asked them to share any specific recipes I could cook with the sauces. They happily let me in on a few recipes that have been passed down in their families.
A recipe Sal’s grandfather would make was a soup with Val’s Vegetrian Sauce.
First take 3 bunches of kale, take the big vein out, chop it into big pieces and set aside.
In a tall pot, crush 2 cloves of garlic and add a little bit of virgin olive oil to the bottom. Bring it up to temperature and if you want it hotter, you can add a little chili flake to it.
Then drop the pile of kale into the pot and put a lid on it. As it starts to wilt down, add your favorite jar of Val’s Vegetarian Sauce, 2 cans of cannnellini beans with the juice, a little crack of pepper,and extra salt to taste. Wait until the kale gets tender and then grab some bread to go with your soup!
Val told me about how easy it is to make her favorite Crock-pot Chili with her Vegetarian Sauce.
Take one jar of Val’s Vegetarian Sauce, 3 cans of your favorite beans, add stew or hamburger meat to it and let it cook. When it’s done, serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt. Then dice some red onions, add some siracha and it’s ready to go.
Val also shared their favorite pizza recipe that they made for dinner later that night.
First, spread out the pizza dough on a cookie sheet and add any one of the three sauces onto the dough. Then layer on fresh mozzerella cheese and fresh basil leaves on top.
Slice up fresh red onions, mushrooms and small pieces of smoked bacon(without nitrates) and layer it on top to build the pizza. Add more mozzerella, put it in the oven and é fatto!
I ended my visit purchasing all three sauces and a lot of great ideas. Not only am I trying all three of these meals, I’m planning on making up my own recipes along the way.
