Spaghetti with Sausage and Basil

I was visiting my parents in Chicago for Christmas and decided to take on the task of making spaghetti one night for dinner. While cooking, my aunt was not too far away, watching carefully what I was doing (she said she was trying to get some cooking lessons without having to pay for a class), and as I was going about my usual method of cooking by adding a dash of this and a pinch of that, she would occasionally ask questions to take note of what was going on. My mom was also wandering around, interjecting here and there with questions such as, “Are you going to use a whole onion?” or “Are you sure that’s enough sauce?” At one point during the process my aunt asked something along the lines of “Is this how you normally do it?”

It was at this point that I realized the answer was no. In fact, I think it’s rare that I make a meat sauce exactly the same way as I did it before. Sometimes there are diced onions, shallots or garlic, or there might just be a palmful of garlic powder if that’s all I have on hand. Sometimes I use ground beef, sometimes it’s sausage (hot or mild), or sometimes even ground turkey. And I must also admit that sometimes I use some random store bought jar as a “starter sauce” upon which I build the flavors instead of starting from scratch with a can of tomatoes. And the herbs and seasonings are all based on a whim! However, there are a couple of things that I will pretty much always add if readily available—red wine and balsamic vinegar. The wine adds a nice depth to the sauce and the vinegar brightens it up a bit while also adding a little sweetness.

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1 large shallot, diced
• salt and pepper
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 1 cup (or so) of dry red wine (two/three buck chuck will do)
• balsamic vinegar
• one 28-ounce can chunky tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti, cooked al dente
• grated Parmesan cheese
• fresh basil leaves, for serving

Procedure:

1. Heat a few swirls of olive oil in a large pan over medium-heat. Add the shallots, season with a little salt and pepper, and cook until softened.
2. Add the sausage, breaking it up into bite-size pieces with a wooden spoon, and cook until browned.
3. Add the wine to the pan to deglaze (scrape up any browned bits) and reduce by about half. (Feel free yo pour yourself a glass while you wait.)
4. At this point you can add in a few swirls around the pan of the balsamic vinegar (2 to 3 tablespoons), along with the tomato sauce, garlic powder, dried basil, and some more salt and pepper.
5. Let simmer for at least 15 to 20 minutes, taste, and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
6. Add the freshly cooked pasta (per instructions on the box) straight to the pan with the sauce along with as much Parmesan as your stomach desires and toss to combine combine.
7. Divide among bowls and garnish with some basil. (You’ll probably want to cut it into thin strips—I left the leaves whole just for the pictures. #foodporn)
8. Devour.