Mike’s Homemade Spaghetti (The Real Thing)
By Mr_Mike_Love
As a special treat for the last Issue of BRM, I am releasing a closely guarded family secret to the spaghetti sauce I grew up with. Don’t worry, I have permission from my mother to write this LOL.
Please note, this sauce can be expensive to make, especially if you make it completely from scratch, with all fresh ingredients as I did last time I made it. It cost in the range of 40 USD (34 Euro or 30 BP). This was, mainly, for the cost of the fresh tomatoes. I will include instructions for using canned goods, which will cut the cost almost in half.
This sauce is, also, made to taste. The herbs and spices added will be to your own tastes. Meaning, you will have to sample it quite often to get the right flavor for you.
Preparation can be complex in areas, but, I will explain as best as I can.
Please note, this has a long cooking process. The goal is to cook out as much moisture as you can that you will get from the tomatoes.
On to it.
This will make around 10 servings. Possibly more.
Tomatoes
This is the hard part. Deciding on which type tomato you want to use. I chose to use Homestead, which are large and not very sweet, more on the acidic side. Whichever type you decide to use, your result, before making the sauce, you should have the equivalent to 3 28oz cans of whole peeled tomatoes, and 4 8oz cans of tomato sauce.
Preparation
Clean the tomatoes in cool water, remove and labels applied by the grocer, and dry using a soft cloth. Preheat your oven to 450F (232C). This part can get messy. Rub each tomato with virgin olive oil, if not available, you can use canola or vegetable oil. Olive oil delivers the best flavor. Place each tomato in an oven pan, arranging them close together to maximize space used. Roast in the oven for 50 minutes, or until the skin is peeling off. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. How this part is done is up to you. The tomatoes should be cooked enough to where the skin just peels off in your fingers. After the skin has been removed, using a sharp knife, gently cut off the top that has the green part on it and place in a bowl.
Once all tomatoes have been roasted and peeled, portion them as described above. The tomatoes that are to be used for the sauce, place them in a food processor or blender. Add in some premixed Italian Seasoning and blend until smooth. Set aside for later use.
The whole peeled tomatoes need to be mashed. Place them in a large bowl and mash them using a potato masher. If you do not have one, a large fork will do. The goal is to break them up just a bit to add some tomato texture to the sauce. Set aside for later use.
Meatballs and Sausages
Grocery List
2lb (.91 kg) Ground Beef, 85/15 mix
1lb (.45 kg) Italian Sausage, Hot, Sweet, or Mild
1 small onion, chopped
1 Bell Pepper, chopped
2 packages of Italian Sausage Links, Hot, Sweet, or Mild
Yield 18 to 24 meatballs
10 Sausage Links
Method:
Combine the ground beef, sausage, bell pepper, and onion in a bowl. Form your meatballs to the desired size and place on a plate. Heat a skillet on high, and sauté until they are crispy dark brown on the outside. Remove from skillet and set aside. They will be raw in the middle, but they will finish cooking in the sauce.
For the sausages, perform same cooking method as the meatballs. Fry them until they are crispy dark brown on the outside. Remove from skillet and set aside. As with the meatballs, they will be raw in the middle, but they will finish cooking in the sauce.