Sunday Gravy, Bare Bones Version for Jon & Jackie!

[This is from adapted from Cook's Illustrated]

Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound hot Italian sausage links
2 medium onions , chopped fine (about 2 cups)
1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
3 -4  tablespoons tomato paste
4 teaspoons crushed garlic (Trader Joe's is good)
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (I use Tuttorossi crushed tomatoes with basil from Giant Eagle)
3/4 cup water, beef or vegetable broth.
¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves, optional, or some frozen or jarred pesto to taste.

Meatballs - see original recipe if you're going to get this fancy!

Pasta
1 ½ pounds spaghetti or linguine
2 tablespoons table salt
Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to lower- middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Heat oil in large Dutch oven (A Le Creuset or comparable enamel on cast iron pot is ideal) over medium-high heat until just smoking.
2. Brown sausages on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes total. Transfer sausages to plate and set aside.
3. Reduce heat to medium, add onions and oregano; cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown.
4. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until very dark.
5 Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 - 60 seconds.
6. Add crushed tomatoes and water/broth, scraping up any browned bits.
7. Return  sausage to pot; bring to simmer, cover, and transfer to oven. 
8. Cook until ribs are tender, about 2½ hours. It's done when dark red oil is on top.
9. Remove sauce from oven and skim fat from top with large spoon.
10. Meanwhile, bring 6 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and salt and cook until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water; drain pasta and transfer back to cooking pot.

TO SERVE: Using tongs, transfer sausage to serving platter and cut sausages in half. Stir basil into sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Toss pasta with 1 cup sauce and reserved pasta cooking water so that sauce lightly coats pasta. Serve pasta, passing remaining sauce and meat platter separately.

Serves 8 to 10. Published September 1, 2009. From Cook's Illustrated. Sunday Gravy

The sauce can be prepared through step 4 and then cooled and refrigerated in the Dutch oven for up to 2 days. To reheat, drizzle ½ cup of water over the sauce (do not stir in) and warm on the lower-middle rack of a preheated 325-degree oven for 1 hour before proceeding with the recipe.

If you double the recipe, which I recommend for freezing, it may take 3 hours or more to cook.

	One Recipe	Double	Triple	Quadruple
Olive oil	2 TBLS	4	6	8
Sausage	1 Pound	2	3	4
Onions	2 cups	4	6	8
Oregano	1.25 tsp	2.5	3.75	5
Tomato Paste	3-4 TBLS	6	9	12
Garlic	4 tsp	8	12	16
Crushed Tomatoes	2 x 28-oz cans	4	6	8
Water/beef broth	3/4 cup	1.5	2.25	3
Basil, fresh	1/4 cup	1/2 cup	3/4 c	1 c