Me in Place

One of the new recipes for this year was given to me by faithful blog reader, Mike. Mike works for the government. Not that he’s spying on you or anything. He’s just trying to help out. Hopefully, at some point, Mike will get around to being one of my Cool Interviews with Cool People. But he’s in government…it could be a while.

Anyway, in honor of Mike and his job, I named this Red Tape Spaghetti Sauce. It was given to him (updated to correct!) by his father, who got it from his mother. It is made in the crock pot, which is the greatest blessing every created for home cooks who are only doing their best to keep the American Dream Alive.

Red Tape Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb bulk, mild Italian sausage

1 lb ground chuck

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 29 oz cans tomato sauce

1 12 oz can tomato paste

2 Tbsp grated Parmesan/Romano cheese blend

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dry oregano

1 tsp dry basil leaf

1 tsp dry parsley flakes

2 tsp salt – separated

1/4 tsp and 1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Brown the sausage in a skillet on medium high heat. Remove the sausage from the skillet, but save the grease.

2. Brown the ground beef in the skillet with the sausage fat. Season the beef with 1 tsp of salt and a dash (1/8 tsp) of black pepper. Remove the beef from the skillet and drain fat. (Could do this using paper towels – lay a couple paper towels on a plate and it will soak up the grease.)

3. In the same skillet, saute the onion until just starting to look opaque. Drain onion on a paper towel.

4. In a crock pot, stir together the tomato sauce and the paste. Sprinkle all the seasonings (including the cheese) over the top of the sauce and stir thoroughly.

5. Fold in the meat and onion.

6. Cook on low for at least 4 hours.

My Additional Comments Cuz You Should Never Just Take What Gov’t Says:

*Makes quite a bit of sauce. I got enough to make lasagna and two 6 serving meals of spaghetti. Freeze extra and you have sauce to pull out on a busy day after working for the Big Man.

*If you are a Libertarian, go pick your own fresh oregano, basil and parsley from your front porch where you grown your own. When using fresh herbs, always up the amount – maybe to about double. (Yes, I added my own. I’m borderline Libertarian. But I am not growing marijuana in my basement. Which makes me teeter on the edge of Republican values.)

*I never drain the fat from the meat with paper towels and such. You can just scoop out the meat with a slotted spoon and get the same, basic effect. I like to cut corners. I’m not in government.

*Edited to add: Chop and add a couple cloves of garlic – you’ll be glad you did.

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