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Marinara Sauce for pasta

Definitely-not-authentic Italian style Marinara
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian

Equipment

  • 1 8 qt saucepot
  • 1 wooden spatula
  • 1 slotted strainer spoon
  • 1 cutting board
  • 1 kitchen knife

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb 85% ground beef
  • 1 lb hot italian sausage
  • 2 lg Vidalia onions or sweet, yellow, or white
  • 1 bulb American garlic if using stronger Euro garlic, a few cloves
  • Olive oil
  • Unsalted Butter
  • 1 750ml bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon look for fruit notes like plum, cherry, blackberry. Avoid a cab-sav that's described as oaky, coffee, chocolatey, or tobacco notes.
  • 1 tbsp Better than Bouillon Beef
  • 1 tbsp Better than Bouillon Veg
  • 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (San Marzano preferred)
  • 1 28 oz can tomato puree (San Marzano preferred)
  • 2-4 Bay leaves
  • Oregano
  • Savory
  • Fennel
  • Thyme
  • Red Pepper
  • MSG
  • Hing
  • Salt
  • Black pepper

Instructions
 

Cook the meat

  • Set the stovetop on high. Place the large cooking pot on the heat.
  • When the pot starts to smoke, drop in the beef and sausage. Let sit to sear a crust.
  • When the meat starts to release grease, use the wooden spatula to break it up into mince.
  • Chop it repeatedly and turn it. When it begins to crumble, stir frequently.
  • When browned, use the slotted strainer spoon and remove the meat from the grease.
  • Do not drain the grease.
  • Turn the burner to med-low (3) and move the cooking pot aside for now so the remaining grease can cool.

Prepare and cook the veggies

  • Separate the garlic and remove the paper.
  • Mince the garlic well.
  • Sliver the onions.
  • Return the cooking pot, with the grease still in it, to the heat.
  • Let the grease come up to medium-low.
  • Add hing to the grease, if using hing. It will bubble.
  • Add a stick of butter, more or less. Let it melt.
  • Add some of your spices into the grease-butter and let them temper.
  • Add the garlic and salt it to draw out the water. Sweat the garlic.
  • When the garlic is simmering, add the onion and salt it to draw out the water.
  • Add MSG to the garlic, onion, and spices mix.
  • Let the onions cook until translucent.
  • By now, any remaining crust from the meat browning should have lifted into the onions & garlic mixture.
  • Add the entire bottle of wine to the pot.
  • Let it come back up to temp and start simmering.
  • Add both types of Bouillon and stir them to incorporate.
  • Simmer until the wine starts to cook down.
  • Add the beef and sausage mixture into the wine-veggie-butter-spices mixture.
  • Add more of your spices.
  • Add both tins of tomato, rinse the tins, add the rinse too.
  • Stir well to incorporate all the wine, butter, grease, and spices into the tomatoes.
  • Add more spices as you see fit.

Simmer to desired thickness.

  • Let simmer for 30 mins to 2 hours, depending on how much water you added.
  • When nearly finished, add olive oil and crack some pepper into it. Stir to incorporate.
  • Taste for acidity and adjust with sugar.
  • Add more salt if needed.
  • Stir some more to ensure all the salt, sugar, and oils are incorporated into the tomato-wine mix.

Notes

Where's the spice measures? There aren't any. That's up to your taste. 
You can chop and add carrots, celery, or green & red peppers if you want. If doing so, just add them at the "onions and garlic" stage.