Spaghetti

Are you ready?  Today, I am posting my super-secret spaghetti recipe.  Now the key to this is the combination of vinegar and hot sauce.  You really want them to add depth, but you don't want to actually taste either of them, so be conservative; if your spaghetti sauce tastes like a pickle (or a buffalo wing), you've overdone it.  

Spaghetti Sauce

1 T olive oil                                 1/2 t sugar
1 lb. ground beef (optional)        1/2 t salt
1 onion, chopped                         1/4 t black pepper
1 bell pepper, chopped                2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
8 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms      1 t white vinegar
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced        hot sauce
2 T fresh Basil (or 2 t dried)       1 lb. favorite pasta
2 T fresh oregano (or 2 t dried)
1 T fresh parsley (or 1 t dried)
1 T fresh rosemary (or 1 t dried)

1) Heat olive oil in large dutch oven or pot over medium heat.  Add ground beef, stirring occasionally, until beef is no longer pink, about five minutes.  Add onion and bell pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions and pepper are soft, approximately three minutes.  Add mushrooms, cook until browned.

2) Reduce heat to medium-low and add garlic.  Cook, stirring once, for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Add next seven ingredients (through pepper), and stir well until onions, peppers, mushrooms, and garlic are well coated.

3) Add tomatoes, vinegar, and a few dashes of hot sauce.  Stir well, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer at least twenty minutes, up to six hours.  Stir every hour or so.

4) While sauce simmers, cook pasta according to directions.  Serve sauce on top of pasta and, if desired, top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.