On Labor Day weekend, good-natured laughter, chatter and verbal instructions could be heard around Balmoral Drive even before the wafting scent of authentic Italian food tingled the nose. It was “Hell Day,” according to Joe Zingales who – with family members – oversees the operation that ultimately provides enough homemade “liquid gold” tomato sauce for a year.

“What we make is sauce, not gravy. And it’s about hard work and a long day, but it only takes one day of hell to provide heaven for a year,” he notes.

Zingales, a local Realtor, was born in Sicily and moved to the United States when he was 3. He inherited his passion for making and sharing food through the generations. His mother Toni started the Labor Day sauce-making tradition using her grandmother’s recipe. At the beginning, the family purchased 10 cases of Mann Orchards tomatoes. Over the last five years, that number has escalated as more family and friends take part. This year there were 60 cases of tomatoes weighing over 1,400 pounds. They were purchased on Monday and Tuesday, and placed on tables for a few final days of ripening to make them perfect come Saturday.

By the time the helpers arrived Saturday morning, the equipment and tables were set out and the first batches of tomatoes were bathing in enormous water-filled vats. Elsewhere, 100 pounds of sweet onions were ready to be peeled and quartered, while approximately 10 pounds of fresh basil was rinsed and prepped.

The assembled group manned various stations in the house and throughout the backyard. They are expected to work hard, but to enjoy the process. Beverages and homemade treats, like arancini and calzone, are passed around to keep workers well fed and happy. Newest recruit, 9-month-old Nico Manni (Joe’s grandson), snagged a tomato wedge that traveled with him as he happily made the rounds from the arms of parents to grandparents and great-grandparents wearing his mini cappello da chef (chef’s hat).

Joe moved deftly from station to station, watching the progress and making recommendations for improvement and efficiency. The work stations included produce-toting and washing, quartering tomatoes and onions as well as prepping basil, crushing the blend, straining multiple times in a special $1,000 strainer, cooking to reduce by half, jarring, sealing and sanitizing jars, as well as transporting jarred sauce to the basement for a three-day slow-cooling sleep nestled upside down in cozy blankets. And finally, distribution to all the people who helped.

The full family – parents Sully and Toni and their children Joe and Rosanna – play integral roles in the process. However, after watching and learning at her side, Toni Zingales felt confident in passing off the reins to her son Joe’s capable hands a few years back. Cooking is his passion, his preferred mode of engagement. He loves sharing his recipes and techniques and learning new ones.

For example, he easily rattled off a few alterations that could shift the flavor profile of his simple sauce. A favorite fish sauce is prepared by adding a piece of haddock to the sauce along with hot pepper flakes, salt and pepper as it’s warming. This preparation is best served simply on linguini or angel hair pasta. Despite being forthcoming with the ingredients and processes, Joe doesn’t expect anyone else to duplicate the family sauce. It cooks differently based on the person making it.
“It may sound corny, but making it with lots of love and patience makes all the difference in the world. The end result is the reflection of the love of the person making it. Nothing comes close,” he says.

Midway in the process there was a collective gasp as it was revealed that one full jar burst in the final boiling stage. The loss felt personal, and an investigation and discussion ensued to establish the cause before the next batch was gingerly placed in the boiling water. It was determined that the lid was likely to have been slightly askew. Lids and placement were double-checked and the process continued.

By Sunday, the year’s goal had been achieved. Many hands had made lighter work and instilled a sense of universal pride in the vast accomplishment. A total of 500-plus jars were filled with this year’s limited-edition, highly prized sauce – sauce that will serve friends and family over the course of a year. Sauce that will sustain body and spirit through many days and meals.
But it would not be distributed for three days, after both the sauce and the sauce-makers had a chance to rest.

Closely watching over the sauce-making process are (from left) Jay McKallagat, Joe Zingales and Sako Aktchian.

Once jarred, the “liquid gold” heads to the basement for a three-day slow-cooling sleep nestled upside-down in cozy blankets.

Commercial-size pots are required, when the end result is 500 jars of sauce!

Ryan Landry stirs a giant pot of tomatoes, onions and basil that, once cooked, will star in many delicious meals over the next year.

The Sauce Squad starts with family. Familia Zingales engages multiple generations, plus friends and neighbors, to craft the family’s special tomato sauce. Shown are (front, from left) patriarch Sully Zingales and wife and matriarch Toni Zingales; (back, from left) daughter Rosanna Zingales-Lopez and her husband Miguel Lopez, with son Joe Zingales and his wife Teresa Zingales. Methuen Life photos by Alison Colby-Campbell