______'s Meat Sauce
(note: veggies can substitute TVP for the ground meat)
Saute a large, chopped onion, 1/2 lb of mushrooms, pinch of salt, and six sliced cloves of garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil, and 1 tsp butter, in a heavy bottomed, large pot.
In frying pan, slowly cook 1 lb of ground beef or 1/2 mixed with ground pork.
When the beef is cooked, drain (this is essential, hamburger grease will ruin the flavour of the sauce) and add to onion, mushrooms and garlic.
Stir in one large can of plum tomatoes, 1 large can of tomato sauce, and a small can of tomato paste. Stir in 1 tbsp of brown sugar (or white if you have no brown). Add 2-3 tbsp chili powder, and 1-2 tbsp crushed red chilis. Salt and pepper to taste.
The sugar is to counteract the acid of the tomatoes. If you had it, you could add 1 tsp fennel seed instead, it does the same thing.
You can also add a bit of 'curry powder' (you know, the yellow tumeric stuff) if you want a different taste. If you have it, add 1 tbsp of basil, which is essential for basic cooking/sauces. (buy some, it's only a buck or two)
Cook on very low heat, stirring several times, for 45 minutes.
Serve over pasta, or as a snack, heated, to spread on garlic cheese bread. How to make that?
Just slice a sub bun diagonally, butter on both sides, sprinkle garlic powder on one side, sprinkle grated mozzarella on top, slide in the oven on the rack at 425 for 5 mins or till the cheese melts.
The sauce freezes well. Just seal in a plastic container. You can defrost it in the microwave in 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of the container. Just about the amount of time it takes to cook pasta and/or prepare garlic bread. ;)
Oh, yes, and grated parmesan cheese is really good with this. Buy it in the deli section, it's MUCH fresher than the stuff in the containers from Kraft.