Six Hour Simmer

On Sundays I really like making something that needs to cook most of the day. This past Sunday I simmered a spaghetti sauce for 6+ hours. I'm still amazed at how easy it is to make a good sauce and how people still eat the pre-bottled stuff from the grocery store. I start by sweating an onion and carrots with three whole cloves of garlic. I  added 2 lbs of fresh sweet Italian sausage - I prefer the sweet because of the fennel seeds that are added too it and I always add my own red pepper for heat. and let it cook but not brown. I wanted it to be tender while reducing all day and find if it is too browned then you get little chunks throughout the sauce. After removing the fat I add a little zinfandel to deglaze the pan and then add two large cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes. It's really worth it to buy good canned tomatoes. I also like Muir Glen a lot, but you can't beat the original.

I'm picky about basil so I added a little of it chiffonaded to the side of the plate. As you can see, after 6 hours of simmering the sauce was steaming hot. Of course, it's topped with Parm Reg to complete the dish.

Now that's some HOT SAUCE!