Morg's Spaghetti Sauce

Updated 3/5/2013                                                   Like all my recipes, they have a story with them. The spaghetti sauce was one of my specialties way back when I was in college in the early '60s. It seems that there weren’t many guys that could cook and I found out early on that I could avoid a lot of housework by being able to cook. This sauce was developed after enjoying spaghetti for most of my youth. I came up with this recipe to feed ten or twelve hungry guys and stay away from housework. 

We have continued to make this sauce over the many years of married life (45 of them) often times doubling the quantity and freezing the extra for future meals. The sauce is thick enough to be used as part of the filling in Lasagna.

Just an after thought - resist the urge to add Oregano - It is the primary difference in spicing between Pizza and Spaghetti sauces.

Recipe makes 8 quarts

INGREDIENTS:

2 ½  pounds hamburger (90% +) *

1 pound hot Italian sausage (Anything BUT Johnsonville)

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 med. onion

8 cloves garlic

4 12 oz. cans tomato paste

6 28-oz. cans Italian-style whole peeled plum tomatoes

2 28-oz. cans Italian-style crushed tomatoes

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

6 tsp Fresh rosemary (3 tsp dried)

4 Tbsp dried basil

2 tsp dried thyme

12 bay leafs
reserved tomato juice

2 can 14 oz of chicken stock (reduced sodium)

2 Tbsp sugar

1 cup red wine

 

PREPARATION:

Peel the onion and garlic, chop finely. Drain the plum tomatoes reserving the liquid and crush them (in the can) with a potato masher, just enough to form chunks. Remove the sausage from the casing and break it up with a potato masher (note some of the "sinew" will stick in the masher, just scrape the sausage off the masher with the back of a butter knife and throw away the sinew) . Wash the rosemary if using fresh shaking off the water, strip the leaves and chop finely. Grind the thyme in a mill to release the flavor.

COOKING:

Place the reserved tomato juice in a 4 qt pot and simmer (bubbling) until reduced to 1/3, then add to the pot.

Heat large heavy frying pan over medium heat then add olive oil followed by the onion. Sauté until translucent and slightly browned. Add garlic and stirring constantly for a minute. Add beef and cook, stirring, breaking it up into small bits, until the meat has browned. Drain excess fat and add the beef to the the sauce. Add the sausage to the fry pan and brown it breaking it up into small bits. Again drain and add it to the pot.

While the meat is cooking. Add all the tomatoes, reduced reserved tomato juice, chicken broth, sugar, bay leafs and wine to a large stock pot (15 to 20 qt.) Stirring to combined. Add the meat followed by the tomato paste and spices and cook for 1 minute stirring to combined. Bring to a slow boil and then reduce to low and simmer for 3 to 5 hour, stirring frequently (every 15 min or so). Watch the pot as the sauce has a tendency to burn in the center of the bottom if left unstirred for an extended period of time. If a fat layer forms around the edge while simmering, remove it with a spoon as you go along.

 Serve it over De Cecco Capellini Cut No. 9 (Angel Hair) and with some crusty Italian bread to sop up the sauce, a nice tossed salad and some hearty red wine!

* We had a 2-½ Lb. rump roast ground just for this recipe. Almost no fat.

NOTE: The sauce will be watery at first but  it will thicken after simmering. While the sauce is simmering, DO NOT cover tightly if at all, the water needs to boil off to allow it to thicken. If become too thick, add water as necessary. Or if it's too thin add more tomato paste.

Note 2 : If you have a cut up chicken, it can be added to the sauce while simmering (at least 2 hours) for added flavor and can be served with the meal.