Nana's Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

  When I was in high school, I took a class called, 'Home Ec' which taught us a variety of things that had to do with housekeeping. I zeroed in on the cooking classes and even took 'Gourmet Cooking' in my Senior year.
   I was married at the age of 18, and although I learned a lot from Home Ec, there were a lot of things I did not know how to make. One night, I decided I wanted to make spaghetti sauce, so, I called my mom and asked her how to make spaghetti sauce. There was no Internet or even a good supply of books available with recipes, and even if there were, I certainly could not afford to buy any of them at that time!
   My mom gave me her recipe. She told me how to make it, and I remembered everything that she said.  Here is the basic recipe she gave me at that time. You can add things to it, or delete some things, although I think everything in this recipe is pretty basic and you would miss something important if you took away any of these ingredients:

Nana's Spaghetti Sauce

2 - 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 small onion
1 or 2 garlic cloves
Olive oil
Pork sausage (Optional. Either sausage links or loose sausage is fine).
1 pound Ground beef
Italian herbs of your choice*
Mushrooms (optional)
Salt (optional)

   In a food processor, process the onion and the garlic. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic. When onion is soft, turn heat down or off and add tomato paste. Stir well to combine. Add the 2 cans of tomato sauce, then, add 2 cans of water to the sauce mixture. Meanwhile, cook the ground beef and sausage. Add the herbs to the sauce mixture and when meat is browned, add the meat to the sauce mixture as well. Slice mushrooms up if using and saute them and add them to the sauce mixture. Cook on low heat for a couple of hours. Keep watch on pot occasionally to make sure mixture isn't evaporating. Add salt to taste, if desired.
*Note: Some herbs to use are: Basil, Oregano, Anise Seed, 1 Bay leaf, Parsley or any premixed Italian herb mixture. You can add mint as well.

Homemade Pasta

1 1/3 cups semolina flour
1 egg
1 TBS. Olive oil
Water

Combine flour, egg, olive oil, and a little water (3 TBS.) in a mixer. Mix until the dough forms a ball and doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl. Add more water as necessary. Put the dough through an extruder or pasta machine. Cook finished pasta in boiling water, for 3-5 minutes or until done.

Bucatini pasta homemade with semolina flour, and Nana's Spaghetti Sauce