Tasty Tuesday: Lillian's Spaghetti Sauce

Lou and I elected to do dinner and a movie at home last night. I like to consider myself capable of making a restaurant-quality meal when I try, and given the time and ingredients, it is a real thrill to try.

While I don't normally question my usual straightforward spaghetti sauce, the one made in Tom's chapter of The School of Essential Ingredients sounded so good that I decided to make the effort, adapting it a little. It was thoroughly worth it. Enjoy.

[As for the movie: Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery is not at all romantic (or clean). But it did make me laugh. I get a kick out of Mike Myers' stairs-escalator-canoe-elevator routine. I cannot figure out how he does it.]

Lillian's Spaghetti Sauce
Adapted from here.

Several cloves of garlic, minced
About half a small/medium onion, minced
1 lb. Italian sausage
About 2/3 cup milk
About 1 cup red wine
1 can diced or crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
A little dried oregano
6-8 oz. sliced mushrooms
Olive oil

Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and add onion. Cook over medium heat till clear, then add garlic and cook a little longer but don't brown.

Add meat and cook till just done, then add milk--this is supposed to prevent the wine from giving the meat an acidic taste.

When the meat has absorbed the milk pretty well, add the red wine and mushrooms and cook till mushrooms are lightly done. Then pour all that into a crock pot and add tomatoes, tomato sauce and oregano. Cook for several hours on low setting and serve over spaghetti, topped with parmesan.

P.S. Lillian would say to use good wine and buy canned tomatoes whole and crush them. I cheated on both counts. It was a little easier and a lot less expensive, and it tasted fabulous anyway. She also didn't include mushrooms, but I couldn't quite imagine spaghetti sauce without them.