Mouth watering spaghetti

A good meat based tomato sauce is the staple of dozens of recipes.  Until recently, I made my sauce from a mixture of crushed tomatoes and canned spaghetti sauce until I was introduced to this recipe.  It’s relatively simple and the end product is awesomely tasty.

Yields ~8 cups.

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 3-5 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
• 1 cup fresh basil, diced
• 1 cup red wine
• 2x 28 oz can of whole tomatoes
• 2-3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/4 tsp chili flakes, or chili powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 lb ground beef

Tomatoes

I suppose if you want to consider this a truly “from scratch” recipe, then you should start with some good fresh tomatoes.  Blanch them in boiling water until the skins are loose and wrinkled.  Throw them into cold water to cool.  Remove the skins and dice.  I have yet to try this so your millage may vary.

If you use canned tomatoes, splurge and buy the good stuff!  Trust me, it makes all the difference in the world.  The tomatoes I use I get from a local butcher, imported from Italy; “Solania – San Marzano” tomatoes.  At $4 CAD per can, they aren’t cheap but well worth it.

The amount of sugar needed is relative to the acidity of your tomatoes.  Better quality tomatoes will require less sugar.  I like to start with 2 tbsp of sugar mixed with the spices and add more later if needed.

Preparation

1. Crush fennel seeds, chili, and oregano into a powder in a mortal and pestle.  Then add the sugar and grind until combined (spices courtesy of another drunkard).
2. In a large pot sauté onions in the olive oil over low heat, covered, for 10-12 minutes.
3. Add garlic and basil and re-cover for ~5 minutes.
4. Add the wine and reduce by about half (uncovered).
5. Add tomatoes, spices, and a teaspoon or two of salt.
6. Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
7. Turn down the heat to a low simmer.  Periodically check the flavour.  If it’s too sour, add more sugar.
8. Continue cooking until the desired consistency is reached.  The further you reduce the sauce, the more intensified the flavours become.

Just before the sauce is ready, fry the ground beef and add it to the sauce.  I like to finely chop one shallot and 1-2 cloves of garlic and throw them into the frying pan before adding the beef.  Give the beef a good mashing with side of a wooden spoon while frying to ensure there are no large chunks sticking together.

Tip: You know all that liquid you usually dump down the drain after frying beef?  Well, if you buy good quality meet don’t drain it!  Dump the whole lot into the sauce… that’s tasty stuff in there.  Just don’t tell anyone you did that.