November 11, 2011: Spaghetti Pie Recipe

Who doesn’t love spaghetti? Spaghetti, with or without meatballs, is a old-time favorite with families everywhere. And what’s not to like? It’s a dish that’s filled with the good homey flavors of garlic and tomatoes, it’s an economical dish, and it’s easy to make a large quantity to feed lots of hungry diners.

Next time you make spaghetti, try making it in a pie plate or quiche pan instead of serving the usual way and see what your family thinks.

Spaghetti Pie

6 ounces spaghetti

2 T. butter

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. dried parsley

1 eggs, well beaten

1 cup cottage cheese (optional)

½ lb. lean ground beef

½ lb. pork sausage

½ cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped Bell pepper

1 8-ounce can tomatoes, chopped

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

1 t. sugar

1 t. dried oregano

½ t. garlic salt

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Sir butter into hot spaghetti; add Parmesan cheese, parsley and eggs. Spread spaghetti mixture in bottom and up the sides of greased 10-inch pie plate or quiche pan to form crust. Spread cottage cheese, if using, over the top of the spaghetti crust.

In skillet, cook ground beef and pork sausage until browned. Drain; add onion and peppers and cook an additional two minutes, until vegetables are softened. Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, and spices; heat through.

Spread meat mixture over prepared spaghetti crust. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top. Return to oven and bake 5 minutes longer, until cheese I s melted.

Serves 6

July 15, 2011: Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

Some years ago I worked at a hotel near downtown Mesa, Arizona. While I was there, I became friends with one of the maintenance workers, Bob. Bob was the quintessential Italian-American, complete with faint New York accent and proud, dark moustache. Who better, I thought, to ask for a recipe for spaghetti sauce?

Bob was gracious enough to share with me his family recipe for authentic Italian spaghetti sauce and it’s the one I always use now. As for those handy sauces in a jar like Prego? Forgedaboutit!!

Tip: If you’ve got tomatoes fresh from the garden ready for use, blanch and peel them and use them in place of the canned tomatoes in this recipe.

Bob’s Spaghetti Sauce

5 cloves garlic, minced
4 T. olive oil

Heat olive oil to medium in a large pot. Add garlic and brown slowly just until slightly brown.

Add:
3 pint cans crushed tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste

Add to pot along with 2 empty paste cans of water; stir. Continue to cook over medium heat until it begins to boil. Reduce heat to simmer.

If using Italian sausage, boil in one-quarter inch of water until white, then add to sauce at this time.

After 45 minutes of cooking, add basil, parsley, oregano (about 1 tablespoon of each) and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Continue simmering. After an hour, taste and add more seasoning as needed. If it tastes bitter, add a bit more sugar. Spoon grease off the top of the sauce as needed (if using sausage) or place a slice of soft bread on top to soak up the grease. Add water if the sauce is too thick.

Cook for a minimum total time of two to two-and-a-half hours.