I've only made this a few times, each time different, and now when I ask my Granddaughter what she'd like me to cook for her family, it's always her #1 request. This time is the same, in that it will be different . .😉. . from previous times.
1# Butcher's Blend
~ 50% ground beef + 50% ground pork
1# ground turkey
1/2c chopped onion
3T California, Italian, Greek or Moroccan EVOO
1c cold fresh water
Chop and sauté the meat, onion and seasoning, using a flat-edged wooden spoon, over medium-high heat, evaporating all the fat and liquid until the meat is lightly browned and in small, crumbly pieces. Add: the EVOO toward the end. Stir, and continue to brown until meat begins to stick and darken. Slowly add a little of the water, then allow the browning to happen again to the point of sticking to the bottom of the pan. Do this browning and deglazing several times, using up the entire cup of water by the end.
Add the longer cooking vegetables first, chopped celery and carrots with 1T Garlic and Herb Seasoning, and another 1/3c water. Cover and simmer on low-medium heat 5 minutes. Pour in the jar of sauce. Add a little water, red wine or vodka to the jar and shake well to get all the remaining sauce, then pour this into the pot. Optional-also add 14-28oz of crushed tomatoes - IF you want the sauce heavier on tomato. Without the extra tomato, it's a nice meaty, vegetable sauce with just enough tomato to hold it all together. Stir and simmer this another 5 minutes before adding:
1/3 chopped green pepper
remaining chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
1T Italian seasoning
~ grind to a powder in mortar and pestle
3 bay leaves
1T sugar
Cover and simmer over low heat 15 minutes to blend all the flavors.
Cook 1# thin spaghetti to al dente only. When the spaghetti is cooked, add a couple ladles of starchy pasta water to the sauce. Drain and rinse the spaghetti in cold water until pasta is cold then drain in a colander.
Simmer the sauce another 15 minutes over low heat, uncovered. Put the pasta back in the rinsed out pot it was cooked in. Mix it with 3-4 ladles of the simmered vegetable sauce. Spread this sauced spaghetti over a 9x13x1" or 8x11x2" glass pan.
Add 1c sour cream to the remaining, slightly cooled sauce, if you'd rather have a creamier, pink sauce. Pour the sauce over the spaghetti and top everything with some fresh grated parmesan or other flavorful hard cheese -or- American if, like me, you're cooking for a young family. I actually like mine topped with pepper jack cheese! Bake this at 350° for an additional 10-15 minutes before serving with a fresh green salad, tossed with EVOO and lemon juice.
This will keep well several days in the 'fridge. . .Lin
