Red Sauce #2 – Serves 2
Ingredients:
4 – Medium to Mild link Italian Sausages in casings.
1 – 14.5 can of Stewed Italian Tomatoes
1 – 14.5 can of Diced Italian Tomatoes
1 – Small can tomato paste
3 – Cans water using the tomato paste can
1 or 2 Roma Tomatoes diced if desired
Thin Spaghetti, linguine or penne pasta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Grated Romano and Parmesan Cheese
Spices:
1 – sprig windowsill basil or 2 leaves of regular basil chopped fine. Or ½ teaspoon dried basil
1 – sprig thyme stripped of leaves. Use leaves as is or just bruise with fingers
4 or 5 leaves of Italian Flat Leaf Parsley chopped fine or ½ teaspoon dried parsley crumbled fine.
Dash of dried Oregano – Be careful with this herb. While it adds a zing to a sauce, too much will make the sauce hot. Use fresh if you have it. My guess would be about ½ teaspoon of chopped fresh leaves
½ teaspoon of dried sage or 3 – 4 leaves fresh chopped fine. You will have to adjust this to suit taste.
Good grind of fresh black pepper
Usually I don’t add salt as the canned tomatoes have enough.
Instructions:
In a large skillet
Add the spices first. Sprinkling them evenly over the skillet bottom
Then add the stewed tomatoes. Chop into larger pieces with a spatula. I do it this way to avoid washing a food processor.
Add the diced tomatoes to the skillet
If using some fresh Roma tomatoes add them also
Stir the mixture to distribute the spices into the tomato sauce
Add the tomato paste and 3 cans water using the empty paste can to measure
Stir until the paste, tomatoes and water are well mixed (If more water is needed, add it using your judgment. The end sauce should be thick and rich and not watery.)
Cover and heat to a good simmer. Let the sauce simmer for at least 20 minutes while the sausages and pasta are cooking. Stir sauce occasionally to keep the liquid that rises to the top mixed with the heavier tomatoes.
In a separate skillet, heat the oil for 4 minutes on a medium heat 5 on an electric stove.
Add the sausages and press down gently to flatten two sides
Cook for 5 or 6 minutes on one side without turning.
Turn sausages over. If not nice and brown on cooked side put the side back down and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. If sausages are nice and brown on the first turn, cook them for the same amount of time. You want to make sure they are done all the way through.
At same time as starting to heat the oil for the sausages, put 2 quarts water in a covered 3 quart saucepan on to boil at a high heat. When water has been heating for about 10 minutes, add about ½ teaspoon of sea salt to the water. When the water is boiling, I usually add about a ¼ package of Barilla thin spaghetti broken in half to the water. If you like your spaghetti long, then use more water in a larger pot. Adjust your starting time to boil the water so the pasta will be just done when sauce and sausages are ready.
If using linguine, use less pasta than with thin spaghetti. If using penne pasta, about ½ box of Barilla penne will be enough for two good servings.
When the pasta is in the water, stir with a spaghetti fork or a regular fork to stir the pasta and water until the pasta starts to soften. Stirring keeps the pasta from settling to the bottom of the pot and clumping up. It also gives the water a chance to come back to a boil.
When the water is boiling again, cook the pasta uncovered per directions on the box. If you cook covered, water boil over is the usual result. Cook pasta until it is al dente or soft your choice. I like mine al dente because the starch in the pasta remains as a complex starch. When the pasta is cooked soft the starch becomes a simple starch and is less healthy than the complex kind.
By the time the pasta is done, the sausages should be done too. The sauce will be simmered and ready to serve.
Drain the pasta, add a little olive oil to the cooked pasta and toss gently with a regular fork to coat the pasta. This will keep it from sticking together.
Divide the pasta between two plates. Add enough red sauce to each plate of pasta to thoroughly coat each pasta pile.
Add one or two sausages on top of the pasta and sauce. Then grate a good bunch of cheese down both sides of the sausage and serve. Or a good shake if using the pre-grated cheese.
Serve with a side of fresh salad and a good glass of red wine.