Recipe of the Week
Italian Meat Sauce
March 29, 2012

This is a recipe that I have been making and perfecting for 25 years. Make sure you use the best, freshest ingredients you can find when making this dish.

Ingredients:
*1 lb ground chuck beef
* ½ lb sweet Italian sausage cut out of the casing
*2 - 7 ounce cans of mushrooms with the liquid
*2 - 8 ounce cans of tomato sauce
*1 - 15 ounce can of whole tomatoes with the liquid
*1 - 6 ounce can of tomato paste
* ¼ cup ketchup or to taste (This is what I use as a sweetener instead of sugar)
*3 cups water
*1 green bell pepper ½ inch chop
*1 Cubanelle pepper ½ inch chop
* ½ cup fresh onions cut into rings
*2 cloves of garlic minced or to taste
*1 Tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning or to taste
* ½ Tablespoon cracked black pepper or to taste
*2 Tablespoons minced fresh basil
*1 Tablespoon fresh oregano minced
*1 Tablespoon fresh thyme minced
*12 ounces of fresh portabella mushrooms chopped

Garnish: *Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste
*Freshly chopped parsley

Directions:
Place the beef and sausage in a Dutch oven and cook until browned. Drain the meat thoroughly and return back to the pot.

Add all of the ingredients except the fresh portabella mushrooms and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 3-4 hours until the sauce begins to thicken. Add more water as necessary during the cooking time to keep the sauce from becoming too thick.

Add the fresh mushrooms and continue simmering until they are fully cooked and the sauce has reached the desired consistency.

Cook your favorite pasta as per the package instructions.

Plate the pasta and cover it with the meat sauce.

Generously grate fresh parmesan cheese over the dish.

Garnish the plate with freshly chopped parsley.