The Ultimate Pasta Sauce

I eat way too much pasta. I can’t help it, it’s a love I developed as a small child. I spent years though trying to find the perfect red sauce for pasta and I now have it. This is the standard sauce I use for lasagne, spaghetti, rigatoni etc etc. I make big batches and can it. This is so much better than any store bought sauce. Any vegetarians can leave the meat out I suppose, I have never tried that….I am a meatitarian.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound meaty pork bones or loin chops
1 pound veal, veal chops or beef
1 pound Italian sausage (whatever you prefer, I like sweet fennel)

4 cloves garlic

1 Large onion (optional)
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 cans (28- to 35 ounce size) Italian tomatoes
2 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste
6 fresh basil leaves

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Pat the meat dry and put the pieces in the pot. Cook, turning occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until nicely browned on all sides. Transfer the meat to a plate.

Drain off most of the fat from the pot. Add the garlic and onion (if using) and cook for about two minutes or until golden. Remove and discard the garlic (if you like, I leave it in). Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes, with their juice, into the pot. Add the water and salt and pepper to taste. Return the meat to the sauce and basil and bring the sauce to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more water.

After 2 hours remove the sausage, leave the rest of the meat in the sauce (remove any bones). Take a stick blender (Braun etc) and blend all the meat and sauce together until you get the consistancy/chunkiness factor you like. Your sauce is now done.

I take the sausage out for the sole reason of making sausage sandwiches. If you want to blend the sausage into your sauce as well, go for it.