The Best Spaghetti Sauce
Shortly before I went to university, I lived with my father in the small town of Berwyn, Alberta. The old sign at the outside of town read “Population 50 and Growing.” While there I worked as a cashier at a local supermarket in Grimshaw where an Italian man frequently came in to purchase ingredients for his spaghetti sauce. Try as I might I never could weasel the recipe out of him but he did tell me that he always put in carrots and red wine. Here’s my version, which I’ve been making and perfecting ever since.
Serves 8 to 10
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 stalks, celery, diced into ¼” (.5 cm) cubes
1 medium carrot, diced into ¼” (.5 cm) cubes
2 tbsp (30 ml) canola oil
2 lbs (907 g) regular ground beef or bison
28 oz (796 ml) diced tomatoes
7 ½ oz (227 g) tomato sauce
10 oz (284 ml) Campbell’s condensed tomato soup
1 cup (250 ml) Italian red wine
10 oz (284 ml) beef broth
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp (45 ml) Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp (2 ml) chili flakes, or more
1 tsp (5 ml) black pepper
2 tsp (10 ml) dried oregano, preferably Greek oregano
1 tsp (5 ml) dried basil leaves
1 tsp (5 ml) granulated sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
¾ lb (375 g) thinly sliced raw button or cremini mushrooms
In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, sauté the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots in the oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a bowl.
Without adding more oil to the pot, brown the meat until all traces of red have disappeared. With a bulb baster, siphon off all the juice and fat into a glass measuring cup. Return the meat to the heat and add the reserved vegetables.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato soup, red wine, beef broth, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, chili flakes, black pepper, oregano, basil, granulated sugar and salt. Using a bulb baster, siphon off the beef juice that has settled to the bottom of the glass measuring cup and add it back to the meat mixture, together with enough water to measure 1 cup (250 ml).
Add the mushrooms. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 3 hours, stirring often, about every 20 minutes. When the mixture is thick and the liquid has evaporated, taste and adjust seasonings, adding more herbs or salt, as needed.
Serve over al denté cooked noodles (spaghetti, spaghettini, or capellini). Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.