My Pasta Sauce for 12 Hungry People
Chef Louis Lindic Treehouse Restaurant Atlanta, Georgia
For 3 to 4 pounds of pasta
½ cup good-quality olive oil
4 cloves garlic
2 large onions, or 3 medium, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
7 pounds fresh tomatoes, or canned Italian tomatoes
Two 6-ounce cans tomato paste
2 pounds beef marrow bones
1 pound pork neck bones
1½ pounds ground chuck
1 pound sweet and/or hot Italian sausage
1½ cups dry red wine
2 tablespoons dried parsley or ⅓ cup chopped fresh
1 tablespoon dried basil or 20 fresh leaves
1½ tablespoons dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh
½ teaspoon dried tarragon or 1 tablespoon fresh
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried rosemary or 2 tablespoons fresh
1 teaspoon fennel seed
12 ounces mushrooms, quartered
If using fresh tomatoes, remove the skins by dropping the tomatoes in boiling water for 15 seconds. Remove, run under cold water, and peel.
Place garlic, onions, and ¼ cup olive oil in large pot, and heat until simmering. Turn down the heat and simmer until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the remaining ¼ cup olive oil, and sauté the meats until they lose all pinkness. (First the ground chuck, then the mild sausage, then the hot.) Drain. Pour out excess grease from frying pan and deglaze pan with wine.
Add the green peppers and celery to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes. Then add the meat, sausages, tomatoes, tomato paste, marrow bones, neck bones, and wine and bring to a simmer.
Add all the herbs and mushrooms and simmer for 3 hours minimum, stirring occasionally. Before serving, remove the bones and bay leaves.
