Here’s the deal: A spaghetti sauce can be marginally good or exceptional. To make the leap, we use Grandma Broadbent’s 100-year-old secret sausage recipe. You have to order it online, but it’s well worth your time and money, as this rich hickory smoked sausage is “da bomb!” We order extra to stash in the freezer for on-the-fly meat sauce, chili, holiday stuffing and decadent weekend breakfasts. Both of our families serve the spaghetti sauce over gluten-free quinoa spaghetti, (Andean Dream is a great brand) or brown rice pasta, (Tinkyada is our fave), which is also gluten–free. Both of these brands can be found at Whole Foods. To order the sausage, go to www.broadbenthams.com.
- 11/2 lbs Broadbent’s smoked country pork sausage, or whatever brand you like (Bruce Aidell’s Habanero and Green Chile sausage is also fantastic)
- 1 tablespoon bacon fat or olive oil, plus more olive oil for pasta
- 1 large medium onion, chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped (if you have time)
- two 26-ounce jars Marinara sauce (We like Muir Glenn’s Organic.)
- 2 teaspoons agave nectar, or brown sugar
- 11/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- dash or 2 chipotle chili powder OR sprinkle of something hot, like Sriracha chili sauce or chili flakes
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced basil
- two 12 oz bags pasta, cooked in salted water per instructions on the package
- butter and/or extra virgin olive oil to taste
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano
Break up the sausage in little bits and cook over medium high heat in a large heavy-bottomed pot till brown and thoroughly cooked, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a paper towel-lined plate. Rinse the pan clean, dry and return to the burner over medium high heat. Add the bacon fat, or olive oil. Add the onions and red peppers and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until they are soft and sweet, stirring occasionally. Add the chopped garlic (if you’re not too pressed for time) and cook another few minutes to avoid that raw garlic taste. Be sure to stir the garlic-onion mixture frequently so the garlic doesn’t burn. Turn the heat to medium low and add the tomato sauce. (We rinse each jar with a little water to avoid wasting the sauce and pour it into the pot, about 1/2 cup water total.) Add the agave nectar, the oregano, the chipotle or hot sauce. Season with more salt and pepper to taste and add a little more agave or brown sugar and hot sauce if desired. Stir in the basil just before serving.
We always toss the warm cooked and drained pasta with salt and pepper, butter and/or extra virgin olive oil before adding the sauce. Garnish with parmesan and a basil leaf. If you like our serving dish and set up, go to www.crateandbarrel.com.
Serves about 8
Makes about 8 cups meat sauce/ 24 oz dry pasta yields about 8 cups cooked
FYI: This is always best made 1 or 2 days in advance day. We often make a big ol pot for the weekend and when the kids have had enough, we’ll turn the sauce into a quickie chili by adding some black beans/and or some kidney beans(rinse and strain them if you are using a can), some chili powder, paprika, and cumin. We add a little water and some more agave, salt and pepper and serve it over quinoi or brown rice.
Knowing full well that she would come to my rescue (as she does not have a 2 1/2 year old nipping at her heels☺), she said, “First, take a big deep yoga breath and second, zip over to Paradise market and pick up several packs of sushi, some lemons and some soy sauce. Lose the fake grass and the plastic packages and make it sexy.” She reminded me of this super cool nambe shell platter that we bought together while we were in South Hampton a few years back (one of the many items that we share) and that is exactly what I did. WHEW! Sushi to the rescue……minus the plastic and fake grass!
Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford are the authors of the best-selling Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook, and many more.
Trader Joe’s Tarte D’Champignon with Lemony Arugula Salad
What’s better than serving a supremely delicious meal with about 15 minutes of effort? Between basketball tournaments, ice cream socials, sleepovers, potty training, and yoga, I slipped over to Trader Joe’s in search of inspiration. Sara had been raving about their fabulous French style flat-bread tarts with mushrooms, Emmental and Parmesan cheese, and I wanted to surprise Jack with a quick and tasty grown-up dinner on the fly. I hurled a few frozen tarts into the cart and headed home. TJ’s tart, much like a thin-crusted pizza, turned out to be great on its own, but I found that a little truffle salt really gives it that “Je ne sais quoi.” Years ago Michael Chiarello of www.napastyle.com gave us this flavorful salt as a gift for being guests on his TV show, and it’s been a staple for us ever since. Truffle salt adds zing to eggs, pasta, salad and risotto – or just about anything that goes well with mushrooms. Your family and friends may well hallucinate in culinary ecstasy after one bite of this easy dish. Jack was delighted and, truth be told, I barely had to lift a finger!
Preheat oven to 450 degrees and cook the tarts according to package instructions. While they are cooking, put the lemon juice in a bowl. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and a drizzle of agave nectar or pinch of sugar. Whisk in the olive oil. (You can also place vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and shake just before assembling the salad.) Place the greens in a medium size bowl and season them with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and toss lightly. Sprinkle the cooked mushroom tarte with truffle salt and freshly ground pepper. Cut into wedges and serve with the arugula salad. Garnish the salad with shavings of Parm cheese if you like.
Note: If you want to spruce the salad a bit, feel free to add some sliced red onion or toasted hazelnuts. If you have access to Meyer lemons, you could also make a Meyer lemon vinaigrette. Just use a little less oil as Meyer lemons are not as sour as regular lemons.
Serves 2