This
Ain't Yo Mama's Spaghetti
¼ cup butter
2 lbs. Italian sausage (hot or mild), casings removed
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
2 cans (6 oz.) tomato paste
2 cans (15 oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 cups water (for a long period of simmering for flavours to
meld. If you don't want to simmer it as long, add less)
3 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1½ teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon of sea salt
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
¼ - ½ cup red wine (a good Cabernet ... I use Moon Light
Harvest - Copper Moon)
1 lb. thin spaghetti (I use Spaghettini)
1. In a large, heavy stockpot, put in ¼ cup butter and
brown Italian sausage, breaking up as you stir.
2. Add onions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally
until onions are softened.
3. Add garlic, tomatoes, tomatoe paste, tomatoe sauce and
water.
4. Add basil, parsley, brown sugar, salt, crushed red
pepper, and black pepper.
5. Stir well and barely bring to boil.
6. Stir in red wine.
7. Simmer on low, stirring frequently for at least an hour.
a longer simmer makes for a better sauce, just be careful
not to let it burn.
8. Cook spaghetti noodles; spoon over drained noodles.
Chocolate
Cheesecake
I'm a tweeker when it comes to cooking, what that means is
that I NEVER leave a recipe as it reads ... I always change
it, however, with this cake I've never been tempted to
change it because it is just D-LICIOUS!!!
Crust
1 - 9 oz. box chocolate wafer cookies
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Filling
1½ cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
12 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 - 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
Glaze
½ cup whipping cream
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
Make crust
Preheat oven to 350° F. Wrap outside of 9" diameter springform pan
with 2¾" high sides with double thickness of foil wrap.
Spray or butter inside pan. Finely grind cookies in
processor (not too fine or your crust will be tough). Add
butter and process until blended. Press mixture onto bottom,
not sides. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
Filling
Combine cream and coffee powder in medium saucepan. Stir
over med heat until coffee dissolves. Reduce heat to low.
Add chocolate; whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is
smooth. Cool 10 minutes.
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large
bowl until well blended. Beat in cornstarch. Add sour cream
and vanilla; beat well. aAdd eggs 1 at a time, beating just
until blended after each addition. Whisk 1 cup of cheese
mixture into chocolate mixture. Return chocolate mixture to
remaining cheese mixture; whisk until smooth.
Pour batter into crust. Place springform pan in large baking
pan, add enough hot water to baking pan to come halfway up
sides of springform pan. Bake cheesecake until softly set
and slightly puffed around edges, about 1 hour. Turn off
oven. Let cake stand in oven 45 minutes. Transfer springform
pan to rack and cool. Cover and chill over night.
Glaze
Bring cream to boil in heavy small saucepan. Remove from
heat and add 4 oz. chocolate and whisk until melted and
smooth. Pour glaze over top of cake. Using spatula, smooth
glaze evenly over top. Refrigerate until glaze is set, at
least 2 hours.
Using knife, cut around sides of pan to loosen cake. Remove
pan sides. For beautiful cuts, rinse knife in HOT water
between every slice.
This makes a large cake and it is soooo rich that the slices
need to be only small wedges, so it goes really far.
Enjoy!!
