Wednesday, June 19th

Red Sauce with Sausage

2 T. olive oil

4 spicy Italian sausages (can substitute turkey Italian sausages or vegetarian Italian sausages), pricked with a fork once or twice

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced (this is a minimum – I usually use at least six)

48 oz. crushed tomatoes with added puree

1/3 cup chopped parsley

2 bay leaves

2 t. dried oregano

1 1/2 T. fresh basil

Red wine (optional)

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When the oil has warmed, add the whole sausages, the onion, and the garlic. Saute for several minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to color (you don’t want it to brown; it will just be a bit golden). Add the tomatoes, parsley, bay leaves and oregano, and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about thirty minutes, stirring often; your house will start to smell really amazing. The sausage should be just about done. Then chop your basil and add it (and the splash of red wine, if using, which I recommend heartily); simmer for about ten minutes.

You can add meatballs (when you add the sausage), and you can serve the sausages whole or slice them into the sauce after the sauce is done. I like to serve this over fettucine or linguine, but you can use a short pasta if you like - just make sure it has enough heft to stand up to the sauce, which is robust.

Serves at least four (six, if you slice the sausages).