Leone’s Marinara Sauce
By Ian MacAllen
Tuesday, February 8th, 2022 | 3,044 views

Mama Leone’s was one of the earliest red sauce restaurants operating from a family living before moving into a 1,200 seat palace in Times Square.
Mama Leone’s was one of the earliest red sauce restaurants operating from a family living before moving into a 1,200 seat palace in Times Square.
Post-war America was suddenly enthralled with Italian food and Maria Lo Pinto capitalized on this with The Art of Italian Cooking, a collection of recipes that helped introduce Italian and red sauce cuisine into homes across the country.
George Rector, a food writer and former restaurant owner helped popularize fettuccine Alfredo. He remained relatively true to the original recipe.
Maria Gentile published an English-language cookbook Italian Cookbook in 1919 with many recipes strikingly similar to Pellegrino Artusi’s collection.
Antonia Isola published an early English-language Italian cook book in the United States, Simple Italian Cooking, providing a documented source of Italian-influenced red sauce in America. Ingredients Ham fat Onion Celery Parsley 2 tablespoons tomato paste or 7 or 8 tomatoes from a can Hot water Parmigiano-Reggiano Instructions Cook onion, celery and parsley in fat. […]
Literary critic Pellegrino Artusi compiled the first collection of recipes from a united Italian nation, La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangier bene (Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well (Lorenzo Da Ponte Italian Library).
Ippolito Cavalcanti published this recipe in 1837 in his two-book collection Cucina Teorico-Practica. It represents the first documented recipe of spaghetti and tomato sauce.
This variation of penne with vodka sauce substitutes sour cream for the heavy cream in the original. The sour cream adds a tangy flavor to the sauce, another layer of complexity.
Gentile’s The Italian Cook Book of 1919 was an early Italian cuisine recipe collection available in English.
Ada Boni collected regional recipes from around Italy in an early 20th century recipe collection that continues to be updated today, and remains a popular gift for weddings.