Norman’s Wednesday Night Spaghetti Sauce

Norman’s Wednesday Night Spaghetti Sauce

For over eight years, I hosted a dinner every Wednesday night for family and friends - anywhere from six to twenty people depending on the week. This sauce, or a variation of it would appear about every third week. Although I never made it exactly the same way, it was always similar. I never tire of this sauce.

The nice thing about this sauce is that it is fast and easy. You have time to start the next entrée  item while the sauce simmers. Once the sauce is done, you can take it off the heat, put a lid on it, and work on the rest of the meal.

1/3 cup olive oil

3 lb. hot Italian sausage, casings removed

1 large onion, chopped fine

6 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced

1/2 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, washed and chopped fine

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

3 cups red wine

1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes

1 28 oz can of ground tomatoes

salt, pepper and sugar

Preparation

Heat a large dutch oven until hot and add the olive oil and the sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break it up as it browns. When the sausage looses its pink color, add the onion, garlic, parsley, thyme, oregano, allspice and red pepper flakes. Continue to cook until the sausage is nicely browned and the onions are sweated down.

Add the wine and the whole tomatoes. Break up the tomatoes with a knife and your wooden spoon and then bring the wine to a boil. Reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer gently for thirty minutes. 

Add the ground tomatoes, stir well and taste to adjust for salt, pepper and sugar. Adjust accordingly and taste to verify every thing is as it should be. Let the sauce simmer gently for another ten minutes, but stir often.

Serving

Take a large plate and put a huge pile of spaghetti on it. Now smother it with the sauce. Serve the spaghetti along with a salad, sausage bread, and a bowl of minestrone soup. Have plenty of fresh ground parmesan in a bowl to pass around the table. Any hearty Italian red wine will do, as long as it is abundant.