How to Make Perfect Spaghetti

When I first started out with a family I had to teach myself many things. Cooking was one of those things that I had to do "trial and error". When you have a family to cook for you have to develop standard dishes that they like and Spaghetti seems to be the number one on the list. I worked on this recipe for about 3 years until I got it right.

Before I give you the recipe I want to say a few things. 1) I use a trio of tomato products to give the sauce the perfect consistency. That would be; stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. 2) I use spirits in my food and in spaghetti I use red wine. If you have an objection to this, you can use Balsamic vinegar to give the same flavor and add a touch of sugar to balance the vinegar. Please understand that the taste of Balsamic vinegar is very strong and where you would use a mini bottle of wine for this recipe, you will want to use 2-3 tablespoons of the vinegar. Also you get what you pay for. About $8 is a good amount to pay for Balsamic. A little more than you would usually pay for but not too much. A good bottle can be as much as $100, so $8 os fairly reasonable.

Ingredients:

1lb. ground beef
� lb ground Italian sausage (mild or spicy to taste)
5 large cloves of garlic
� medium onion (chopped)
� green bell pepper (chopped)
1 celery Stalk
Oregano (in leaf, not ground)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 small bottle of red wine (or 2 Tablespoons good Balsamic vinegar)
4-5 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 15 oz. Can Italian stewed tomatoes
1 6 oz. Can of tomato paste
2 15 oz. Cans of tomato sauce
1-2 tablespoons of sugar
1 lb. Of spaghetti pasta of your choice
4-5 Tablespoons of olive oil

Start by browning onion, beef and sausage in large frying pan. To chop garlic, use a chef's knife with a wide flat blade. Place the flat of the blade over the garlic and pound the flat of the blade with you fist, crushing the garlic. This will release the taste of the garlic and make it easier to chop. Then add garlic, chopped bell pepper, and celery. Allow mixture to brown a bit longer.

When meat is totally brown add oregano. Do this by putting 2 pinches of oregano leaf between your palms, rubbing palms together making the leaf into powder. Clap you hands over the sauce to get all the oregano off. Adding it this way releases the flavor.

Once you have added the oregano wait about 3 or 4 minutes and add the red wine. Let that cook down a bit and then add the can of stewed tomatoes. Once in the pan cut the tomatoes up so they are in smaller pieces. Once this has simmered for a few minutes add the tomato paste and tomato sauce. Let this cook for about 12-15 minutes on low. The finishing touch is to add 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar to the sauce and stir thoroughly. First add one spoonful and taste. If the sauce seems to be a little tart or sour, then add the second spoonful of sugar and stir well.

While the sauce is simmering, boil water for pasta in a big pot. Add 4 or 5 tablespoons of olive oil to the water to keep your pasta from sticking and then add a couple of pinches of salt to water. When water has reached a rolling boil add pasta. Check to separate pasta so it doesn't stick. I used to test pasta by throwing it at the wall and if it stuck it was done, but I can taste it now to see if it was done. I think it was just fun to throw it at the wall with the kids to see if it would stick.

You can serve the spaghetti sauce over the noodles or add the sauce to the pasta and mix together in the pan. I make garlic bread by spreading butter and sprinkling granulated garlic and parmesan cheese over the buttered bread. This makes a nice cheesy crust on the bread when you put it under the broiler. You can also add a salad with your choice of dressings. Buon Appetito!