Fabulous Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 tsp. beef bouillon granules
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• freshly ground sea salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Latah Creek Sangiovese
• 1 can pitted black olives
• 1 28-oz. can stewed tomatoes
• 1 16-oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 10 1/2-oz. can tomato puree
• 1 12-oz. can tomato paste
• 1 pound hot/sweet Italian sausage

Directions

In stock pot, heat olive oil and sauté diced onion until tender and golden.

Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in bouillon, oregano, cinnamon, sugar, salt, pepper, and wine. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Add olives (including juice), stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and tomato puree. Stir thoroughly and simmer for at least 1-2 hours.

In separate pan, brown Italian sausage and add to spaghetti sauce while simmering.

Great when refrigerated overnight allowing flavors to combine, then reheat on stove. Serve over your favorite pasta.

Ellena's Notes

This recipe is over 40 years old! Upon our return from our Air Force time in Turkey, we were stationed in central California, and our New York/Italian descent friends had us over for dinner to experience their grandmother’s spaghetti recipe. I have been making this recipe ever since. The cinnamon in it adds a special nuance. I usually make this sauce and serve it over fresh noodles the first night. The next night I sauté hot/sweet Italian sausage, from my favorite local butcher, add it to the sauce and serve it to dinner guests with an easy butter lettuce salad and great bread. The sauce is so wonderful the second day after the flavors have blended overnight. I then freeze the remaining sauce and I have quick and easy weekday dinners.

Eat well, eat simple.

Ellena