Dave's best spaghetti recipe. And he's tried about all of them.
It wasn't exactly a quest, but we spent years trying spaghetti recipes searching for the "best". As of the moment, this is what we've come up with. And be assured, we will continue to "tweak" it, since that is what gourmet Italian cooking is all about. Good old spaghetti, there is no substitute. A nice side salad, a glass of Borolo or Valpolicella, maybe, and that is as close to heaven as we can get here on earth. This sauce is great on it’s own over just plain pasta. If not including the meatballs, however, most would want to add about a 1-2 pounds of ground or small cubed meats in any combination of beef, veal, chicken, lamb, buffalo!, pork, etc. Experiment, that’s part of the fun!! Yes, there are hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of recipes for basic spaghetti sauce out there, but so many are really just hashed over versions with almost identical ingredients. No real chemistry, similar to what you would get at a mediocre chain restaurant. The sauce recipe here, is just as good with meatballs, over Italian sausage sandwiches, veal, chicken or eggplant Parmigiano, etc. New Italian Recipes Presents: Italian Meat Balls: Meat Ball Spice Mix: Mix everything in a bowl just like you would meat loaf. Roll into balls in a dimension you prefer. We use 2-3 large tablespoons per meat ball. Sauté in olive oil until just brown on the outside. Remove form heat and set aside. Spaghetti sauce: 1 cup crimini mushrooms, chopped coarsely (optional) 16 ounces fresh or dry spaghetti-type long pasta, cooked al dente and drained
Spaghetti Preparation: Add Butter Buds and immediately add onions, red bell pepper, garlic and celery. Stir well to coat with oil. Reduce heat to low and cover, simmering slowly about 6-8 minutes so the vegetables release some of their juices. Add the brandy, Madeira, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Re-cover for about 6-8 more minutes. Add the tomato sauce, olives and mushrooms (if using). Wrap the rosemary, thyme and oregano in piece of cheesecloth large enough to hold all (bouquet garni) and tie the end off with a string. Add to the sauce. (Note:) If you don't have fresh herbs, use 1 T dried rosemary, 2 T dried thyme, and 2 T dried oregano.) Simmer about 1/2 hour covered, then add meatballs. Simmer about another half hour. Add Tabasco, simmer for five more minutes uncovered. If the sauce becomes too thick during the cooking, thin with either chicken stock or tomato juice. Taste a spoonful of the sauce. At this point, if the taste suits you, add the spaghetti (Italian pasta), mix it in, and you are done. You may need to add more oregano or salt, maybe even more Tabasco. Make it taste right. Ideally, refrigerate the sauce and let it rest for at least an hour. (The flavors will marry). Re-warm and serve with good, toasted garlic bread. Garnish with Italian Parsley. This is really a kicked version of traditional Italian red spaghetti sauce. I think you'll find it "invigorating". Let us know! For variations, add 4-5 sun dried tomatoes, minced, and/or 5-6 minced anchovies. If you add the anchovies, simmer them in with the onions (see cioppino recipe). Add the sun-dried tomatoes with the balsamic vinegar. Buon appetito always!
Printer Friendly Version Of New Italian Recipes Milanese Risotto
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