Spaghetti Sauce with Meat & Mushrooms
I started this one from a Consumer's Union comparison recipe, then doubled the batch and played a bit with the ingredients. This works well over the pasta of your choice and served with a salad, a loaf of sourdough, and a glass of merlot or barbera (Robert Mondavi, Sebastiani, Louis M. Martini). Once again, a fair amount of this recipe is intended to be frozen for later use.
- 6 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 lb. lean ground beef (e.g. ground round)
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 medium bell pepper, diced (~1 C)
- 2 Tbs. oregano
- 1 Tbs.. dried basil
- 2 Tbs. dried parsley or a small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 - 28 oz. cans tomatoes (crushed or whole)
- 1 - 28 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1-2 C mushrooms, sliced
- 6 whole allspice and 6 whole cloves in a teaball or cheesecloth packet (optional)
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- ¾ tsp. salt
Heat the olive oil in a large pot on medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery, bell pepper, oregano, basil, and parsley gradually to avoid cooling. Sauté until the onion begins to become translucent. Add the meat and continue to sauté until it browns. Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce, mushrooms, spice packet, black pepper, and salt. Cover and simmer the sauce for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes, stirring frequently, to thicken.
If you come to a fork in the road, take it. — Yogi Berra