My mom had a spaghetti recipe that I’d never seen anywhere before. I use it all the time, but, since she passed away last year, I guess I can let people know about it.
My dad asked me to make it when I visited them in Arizona several years ago. Seems that mom had tried out several other recipes and this one was his favorite, but it had gotten lost when they moved to Arizona. It was so neat to be able to give mom back her recipe. Anyway, at Christmas, after I received the Ricord Merlot Wine from my wine of the month club, I decided to serve it to some friends of mine who were here from California. They want to move here and they like wine, so I thought I would show off my one favorite recipe.
Mom’s Secret Spaghetti Recipe
- 2 pounds of ground beef
- 1 large (16 oz.) can of stewed tomatoes
- 1 small can of tomato puree
- 6 cut-up pepperoncini (I prefer green rather than red – the red is hotter)
- either fresh garlic cut up small or garlic salt
- Onion (again either fresh and cut up small- about 1/4) or onion bits
Brown the ground beef with garlic salt and or onion bits so it is cooked, and pour into a large kettle after getting rid of the fat. Then add the tomatoes (both cans) and the cut-up pepperoncini. Set it on low to lightly simmer for about an hour. Don’t let it boil down. Lower the boil. You want all the flavors to be there, but not too watery.
Use a half of a two-pound spaghetti pack. Break the dried spaghetti into two pieces and put it into boiling salted water. Let it get thoroughly cooked, so, when you bit a piece there isn’t any hardness. Drain the water, and pour in the spaghetti sauce. Then, let simmer for about 1/2 hour or less, making sure it is still plenty soft and ready to put on a plate.
Serve it with a nice green salad, and garlic bread. It is even better on the second day.
I fixed the spaghetti etc. for Roberta and Don, and Laurel came over after dinner and we sat outside and watched the decorated golf carts go through my neighborhood. It was warm enough that I wasn’t cold. And, it was the best red wine I’ve ever had. Everybody loved and decided to order more when we make up our individualized cases of our favorite wines.