Spaghetti Sauce With Italian Sausage

In a dutch oven, brown the sausages well (still in their casings) in a little olive oil. Use tongs to remove sausage to top of pot lid. Drain off fat if necessary, leaving about 1 tbs in pot. Toss in onion, green pepper and garlic and stir to coat, scraping up the brown bits from bottom of pot. Let cook for about 2 minutes, just ’til the onion and pepper begin to soften (do not brown). Return sausage to pot and stir in tomatoes or sauce, paste, sugar, wine, seasonings and parmesan. Simmer for 45-60 minutes. Meanwhile, saute mushrooms in a dab of butter, dash of olive oil, sprinkle of marjoram or basil and paprika. Add the mushrooms and any juice in the pan to the saucepot during last 15 minutes of cooking. Add optional american cheese a few minutes before serving, let melt and stir in. This really mellows out the sauce Tips: You can brown pork shoulder blades or spareribs along with the sausage. Gives a great flavor and provides a 2nd meat course if you’re having company. Use more or less wine, depending on whether you’re using whole tomatoes or sauce. Just aim for a nice thick sauce. Leftovers make great sausage sandwiches. I freeze mine a lot for quick meals later. —– Archive January 2010 December 2009 July 2009 June 2009 April 2009 March 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008