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BestDinnerRecipes.com - “Five-Star” Recipe #9
Sicilian Spaghetti with Meat Sauce served with French-Style
Green Beans
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4-6
Sicilian Spaghetti
Meat Sauce:
2
lbs. ground round (or ground sirloin)
2 lbs. fresh tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (Secret Ingredient!)
2 29 oz. cans tomato sauce
3 tablespoons cumin powder
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 beef flavor bouillon cube
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon thyme
⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper (Secret Ingredient!) |
Pasta Spaghetti:
1
lb. pkg. pasta spaghetti (Any Brand)
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
French-Style Green Beans:
14.5
oz. can French-Style green beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (Secret Ingredient!)
½ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon soy sauce
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
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Advance Preparation Before
you start to cook…
1.
Finely
chop one large onion and set aside.
2.
Finely
chop one stalk of celery and set aside.
3.
Puree
(blend) 2 lbs. fresh tomatoes in a blender and place the puree
into an empty 4-quart pot.
Let’s Cook!
First, Prepare the Spaghetti Sauce…
1.
Bring
the tomato puree in the 4-quart pot (prepared earlier) to a boil
on medium heat. Once
the puree begins to boil, it will froth so keep stirring until
there is no more froth (about 5 minutes after the puree has come
to a boil).
2.
Next,
add two 29 oz. cans tomato sauce to the puree.
Also add 3 tablespoons cumin powder, 1 tablespoon parsley
flakes, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon basil, 1
teaspoon sugar, 1 beef flavor bouillon cube, ½ teaspoon
paprika, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon thyme, and
⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper.
Stir thoroughly and simmer on medium heat uncovered for 10 minutes,
stirring occasionally, then continue to simmer uncovered on low
heat, stirring frequently.
Important! Be careful not to burn the sauce as burnt tomato sauce stuck
to the bottom of the pot will ruin the sauce!
3.
In
a large 12-inch saucepan, cook the ground round thoroughly then drain and
discard the grease.
4.
To
the cooked ground round in the 12-inch saucepan, add 2
tablespoons olive oil, the chopped onion and chopped celery
(prepared earlier), 2 tablespoons minced garlic, 1 tablespoon
white distilled vinegar, and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar.
Stir thoroughly and cook on medium heat uncovered for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the
onions are tender.
5.
Carefully
add the contents of the 12-inch saucepan to the 4-quart pot.
Stir well and simmer uncovered on low
heat until the pasta spaghetti is done cooking.
Next, the Pasta
Spaghetti…
1.
Bring
2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot.
2.
Add
2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt.
3.
Add
the pasta spaghetti to the boiling water and cook for about 8 to
10 minutes or until done. Be
careful not to overcook the pasta!
4.
Drain
the pasta spaghetti in a colander and set aside.
5.
Remove
the heat from the spaghetti meat sauce (turn off the stove).
Finally, the Green
Beans…
1.
Place
one 14.5 oz. can French-Style green beans (and the liquid) into
a 1-quart microwave dish.
2.
In
a measuring cup, mix 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon
balsamic vinegar, ½ teaspoon minced garlic, ½ teaspoon soy
sauce, and ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper and pour evenly
over the green beans.
3.
Cover
the dish and microwave on high for 3 minutes.
When done, set aside to cool.
Important!
Please note that microwave cooking times are approximate.
Depending on the power of your microwave oven, you may
need to adjust the recommended microwave cooking time a couple
of minutes either way. Just
be sure that your microwave vegetables are completely
heated and ready
to serve once they come out of the microwave oven.
Final Steps…
1.
Drain
the green beans and place them into a serving dish (or you can
use the microwave dish as your serving dish).
2.
Place
the pasta spaghetti into a serving dish and garnish with 1
teaspoon parsley flakes.
3.
Place
the meat sauce into a serving dish and serve.
Serving Suggestion:
Serve this classic Sicilian pasta spaghetti dish with
garlic rolls, Parmesan or Romano cheese, and a sprig of fresh
parsley added to each plate for color.
Also, serve this dish with a salad and a glass white
wine. And although
this dish does not require any additional salt or pepper, all of
our BestDinnerRecipes.com recipes are naturally low in salt so
your guests may wish to add additional salt and pepper if
desired to suit their individual preference.
Serving
Alternatives…
1.
You
can also add fresh or frozen meatballs to the meat sauce.
Just be sure to pre-cook your meatballs separately
and thoroughly
until done, and stir them into the sauce just before serving (or
you can serve the meatballs on the side and let your guests help
themselves).
2.
For
a thicker, more traditional, and less watery sauce, you can use
more canned tomato sauce and less fresh tomato puree.
This modified sauce won’t
have the same great flavor or texture as the original recipe
(above) so we wholeheartedly recommend that you stick to the
original Sicilian recipe and use the fresh tomato puree as
directed.
3.
This
spaghetti sauce recipe, like most spaghetti sauce recipes,
always seems to taste even better the day after it was made.
So feel free to make the sauce a day ahead of time and
let it sit for a day or so in the 4-quart pot to let the flavors
marry. Then simply
reheat the sauce when you’re ready to serve.
End
Shopping
List
Important
Note:
"Five-Star" cooking generally requires quality
ingredients. Accordingly, we strongly recommend you
purchase only high quality cuts of meat and the freshest
possible vegetables. Also try to purchase the brand name
grocery items as noted in the shopping list below as
lower-priced, lower quality generic brands may compromise the
flavor and taste of our special recipes.
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