A Pinch Of This A Bit Of That

The Spaghetti Sauce

Contrary to popular(North American)belief, the genuine Italian spaghetti sauce does not contain green pepers as an ingredient. All the sauces that I have tasted in restaurants, on pizza's and spaghetti, anywhere in North America contain the green peper in it, thus altering the taste considerably and making it into a North American Spaghetti Sauce. Which is fine, but Please do not confuse that to an Italian sauce. Most Italians do not use the green peper for their spaghetti sauce. If you want an Italian sauce that is different, you do the following.
Ingredients

  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • One medium sized onion
  • One clove or two of garlic
  • One lb ground beef
  • One lb diced stewing beef(or pork)(or 4 to 6 fingers of sweet italian sausages)I myself prefer chicken.
  • Fresh basil (or dry)
  • Fresh oregano (or dry)
  • 2 cans of peeled tomatoes (or six to eight large tomatoes)
  • Fresh mushrooms (or one can)
  • Salt
  • Black peper
  • Bay leaves
  • Chili red peper (optional)
  • (2 oz.) White wine(optional) or beer. (red will do as well)

    In a fair sized pot, pour olive oil. Drop in ground beef and meat.(sausages or chicken) throw in choped onions and choped garlic cloves.

    In medium heat you brown the meat. Add the wine. Salt and peper to taste.

    Put lid on pot and let simmer for five minutes. Stir continuously so that it won't stick.

    After meat is browned, take lid off....wait till wine or beer evaporates completely and oil begins to fry.

    As soon as it start to fry you add tomatoes. Preferably fresh diced tomatoes. Maybe six or eight large sized. Two cans of peeled tomatoes will be just as good!

    After the tomatoes add one equivalent can of water!

    Throw in two bay leaves, the oregano(a pinch) and basil(hopefully fresh).Chili peper if you wish.

    Throw in about six or eight diced mushrooms. (or one can of drained mushroom)

    Put lid on and let simmer in slow heat. The secret is slow simmer. Remember to stir often.

    Sauce should simmer for about a good hour or two. Depending on how thick you like your sauce. After which you cook the pasta (spaghetti) in the usual manner and pour the sauce over it.

    Sprinkle Parmesan cheese or Romano or both...sprinkle chili peper if you wish and enjoy!

  • Personally I like meat in sauce. If you are not a meat eater, you can leave the meat out and follow same instructions.(You may want to use only ground beef) These are options that will alter considerably the finished sauce...

    Lasagna

    Once you have made the sauce a few times, you may want to do something a little more daring. With the addition of the following few other ingredients I will show you how to make Lasagna! It's very easy.

  • Grated Mozarella cheese (about 200 grms)
  • Grated Parmesan cheese (100 grms)
  • Grated Medium Cheddar ( 50 grms)
  • 4 hard boiled eggs (Chopped)
  • 2 slices of mortadella (Chopped)
  • 1 package of Lasagna noodles (500 grms)
  • 1 pan about 12" X 9" X 3"

    Cook the lasagna according to the instructions on the package. Add a few drops of oil in water to prevent stiking.

    Drain the lasagna.

    You start with a bit of sauce on bottom of the pan.

    Spread the lasagna and sprinkle with Mozarella, parmesan, a little cheddar.

    Sprinkle the chopped mortadella, and chopped eggs.

    Cover with sauce.

    You criss cross one other layer of pasta over that and repeat same procedure.

    You should be getting about six to seven layers of pasta in the pan.

    Make sure tops layer is coverd in sauce and cheese.

    You cover with foil and stick in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes.

    Let cool down because the melted cheese has to set.

  • This will feed about four to six adults.

  • For something a little different you can buy green Lasagna. Which in effect gives you the added taste of spinach. It's amazing!

  • Note! The ground beef, sausage and mushrooms in sauce will really enhance this dish.

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