Spaghetti alla Napolitana

Spaghetti alla Napolitana

Bertha M. Wood. Foods of the Foreign-Born in Relation to Health, 1922
  • ½ pound spaghetti
  • ½ pound round steak
  • ¼ pound salt pork or bacon
  • 1 small onion
  • ½ cup grated cheese
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 2 sprigs of parsley
  • 2 cups canned tomatoes
  • 6 dried mushrooms

Grind the salt pork and try out in a saucepan. When it begins to brown, add the onion, ground; parsley, chopped; shredded garlic and the mushrooms, previously soaked. When the vegetables are brown, add the meat, coarsely ground; and when that is brown, add the tomatoes. Simmer slowly till of a creamy consistency. Cook spaghetti, without breaking it, and drain carefully. Put into a hot serving dish, sprinkle one-half cup grated cheese over it, then pour the hot sauce over it. Lift with two forks till thoroughly mixed.

Image: John Sloan. Renganeschi's Saturday Night, 1912. Gift of Mary Otis Jenkins.