Spaghetti Meat Sauce
1 Pound Ground beef
½ Pound Bacon
2 cups onion – chopped
2 Red bell peppers -chopped
2 Celery stalks including the leaves – chopped
2 Carrots diced
2 Tablespoon Bff Kitchen Basil
2 Tablespoons Bff Kitchen Oregano
2 Tablespoon Bff Kitchen Thyme
1 tablespoon Bff Kitchen Rosemary – I like ground
2 Bff Kitchen Bay leaves
1 Cup dry red wine – Try Yellow Tail Shiraz – has a deeper flavor profile
8 Cups ripe tomatoes – chopped, you can use whatever you find – Roma, beefsteak, or 4 cans of diced tomatoes. I love Santa Lucia Tomatoes; if you can not find Santa Lucia, you can use Hunts or a brand that you like; it is your sauce after all
1 Head of garlic chopped garlic cloves
2 Cups mushrooms, chopped or sliced
1 Tablespoon Del Oliva Modena Balsamic vinegar
1 ½ Tablespoon Bff Kitchen salt-free seasoning
1 teaspoon Bff Kitchen black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Bff Kitchen Crushed Chili peppers
6-oz. Can tomato paste
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
½ cup fresh chopped parsley or ¼ Bff Kitchen parsley
1 Tablespoon chicken bouillon
Chop bacon, and I tend to remove as much fat before cooking as I can, cook the chopped bacon and ground beef in a large frying pan, add salt and pepper to taste as you cook the meat, drain and set aside.
In a large pan, saute the onion, peppers, carrot, and celery in Del Oliva Garlic Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil or your favorite Olive Oil till vegetables start to turn tender. Add the herbs and wine, and simmer cook until most of the wine has been reduced. Add the canned and fresh tomatoes and simmer on low for 30- 40 minutes covered, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, mushrooms, vinegar, tomato paste, cooked meat, bouillon, bay leaves, salt-free seasoning, and pepper—Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. If the sauce is acidic, add the brown sugar to balance it out. Stir in parsley just before the end of the cooking.
Serve tossed with desired pasta; I tend to use Tuscan Herb Oil Olive to coat my pasta with some shredded Romano cheese BEFORE I put sauce on top. I only mix for leftovers – I love fried spaghetti sandwiches the next day; I will post the recipe if you can call it that; I call it deliciousness on garlic bread.
I like to make the sauce the day before, simmering for a couple of hours, then refrigerate overnight so that the flavors have a chance to get to know each other and mature. They did happen to take a swim in the wine after all. Also, if I am not using the sauce till the next day, I only add ¾ of the garlic and half the parsley, since the longer the garlic and parsley cook, the less noticeable flavor they have. I love garlic.