What's for Dinner? Spaghetti with Sausage and Porcinis

Matt loves spaghetti and requested it for dinner tonight. I do not like using jarred spaghetti sauce, I always make my own. And I think the addition of the allspice really jazzes spaghetti sauce up.

1 cup water

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms (or use your favorite variety)

1 T. olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 small carrot, peeled, finely chopped (optional. I didn’t have one, so I left it out)

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 lb sweet Italian sausage (or use ground beef)

1/2 cup dry red wine or sherry

2 beef bouillon cubes

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 T. tomato paste (I like a thinner sauce, so I usually don’t use tomato paste)

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

½ teaspoon allspice (optional. I never make a spaghetti sauce without it)

1 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed (optional)

hot pepper flakes (to taste) 

1 lb spaghetti (or your favorite pasta)

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

 
Bring 1 cup water and mushrooms to boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Let stand 15 minutes. Strain soaking liquid through paper-towel-lined colander in to bowl. Remove and chop mushrooms. Set liquid and mushrooms aside.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic. Sauté until vegetables are tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add sausage and cook until brown. Add veggies back and sauté about a minute. Add wine. Increase heat to high and boil until wine is almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add bouillon cubes and reserved mushroom liquid; boil 10 minutes, or until liquid is almost absorbed, stirring occasionally. Mix in tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano, basil, fennel, flakes and mushrooms. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered until sauce thickens, breaking up tomatoes with fork, and stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water til al dente. Drain. Add pasta back to pan and add about 2 cups or so of sauce. Toss to combine. Transfer to plates. Top each serving with additional sauce and fresh parmesan.

Serve with a side salad or garlic bread.

From ye olde recipe box