Title: Spaghetti Sauce with Italian Sausage
Categories: Pasta Sauce
Yield: 8 Servings
| 1 1/2 | lb | Italian sausage cut into links |
| 1 | sm | Onion, diced |
| 3 | lg | Cloves garlic, sliced |
| 6 | oz | Can tomato paste |
| 8 | oz | Red wine |
| | | Plenty oregano, basil marjoram |
| | | Dashes ground fennel red pepper flakes |
| 8 | oz | Fresh mushrooms |
| | | Dash Bertolli Lite olive oil |
| 1 | lg | Green pepper, diced |
| 16 | oz | Can tomato sauce |
| 1 | ts | Sugar |
| 1 | lg | Bay leaf |
| | | Pinch each thyme, rosemary |
| | | Lots parmesan cheese |
| 2 | | Slices american cheese |
In a dutch oven, brown the sausages well (still in their casings) in a
little olive oil. Use tongs to remove sausage to top of pot lid. Drain off
fat if necessary, leaving about 1 tbs in pot. Toss in onion, green pepper
and garlic and stir to coat, scraping up the brown bits from bottom of pot.
Let cook for about 2 minutes, just 'til the onion and pepper begin to
soften (do not brown). Return sausage to pot and stir in tomatoes or
sauce, paste, sugar, wine, seasonings and parmesan. Simmer for 45-60
minutes. Meanwhile, saute mushrooms in a dab of butter, dash of olive oil,
sprinkle of marjoram or basil and paprika. Add the mushrooms and any juice
in the pan to the saucepot during last 15 minutes of cooking. Add optional
american cheese a few minutes before serving, let melt & stir in. This
really mellows out the sauce Tips: You can brown pork shoulder blades or
spareribs along with the sausage. Gives a great flavor and provides a 2nd
meat course if you're having company. Use more or less wine, depending on
whether you're using whole tomatoes or sauce. Just aim for a nice thick
sauce. Leftovers make great sausage sandwiches. I freeze mine a lot for
quick meals later.