Not so simple sauce...

So, I have only had my Cooks’ Illustrated subscription for a few months now, but even before the subscription started I began to have a love / hate relationship with it. I don’t know if you remember the cookies from Jess and my holiday baking this past December. Well, two of the cookie recipes came from Cooks’ Illustrated. The Nut Crescent Cookies were easy to make, looked great, and tasted wonderful. Now, the Chocolate Butter Cookies were a major pain and very time consuming to make. They did end up tasting good and while they looked fine they didn’t look as good as they should have since the white chocolate topping didn’t work out… These cookies pretty much started my love / hate relationship with Cooks’ Illustrated. Since then I have made their Roasted Broccoli which was amazing and pretty much the best broccoli ever which makes me love Cooks’ Illustrated. Which brings us to tonight… where I make their Simple Italian-Style Meat Sauce which while it was not difficult it was also not a simple, week night sauce at all as it was touted to be. I am not sure that Cooks’ Illustrated cares, but we are having a very tumultuous relationship.

To make the “Simple” Italian-Style Meat Sauce you start by cleaning the mushrooms and giving them a rough chop. Then put them in the food processor until they are finally chopped. See what I mean, when a food processor is involved it is not exactly what I would I would call a simple sauce. Then you put the mushrooms in a bowl and set them aside. Then add the bread, milk, salt and pepper to the food processor and process it until it is pasty. Then add the ground beef and pulse until it is combined with the bread mixture. Add the oil to the pan and heat it up. Then add the onions and mushrooms and cook until they are browned. Then add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste. Next add the tomato liquid and oregano. Lastly add the meat mixture to the pan and use a wooden spoon to break it up while it cooks. Once the beef has lost its raw color then add the crushed and diced tomatoes and let is simmer for about 30 minutes. Last add the parmesan cheese, the remaining oregano (or a little more to taste), and salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pasta.

The sauce was tasty and even a little creamy. It had a nice smooth texture to it which I liked as a change from my chunkier spaghetti sauce. I did need to add extra oregano, salt, and pepper to it. Russ and I both thought it would be better with a smaller pasta than the rigatoni that we used (which was what CI showed with it in the picture). While we both enjoyed it and I did especially like the creaminess and smoothness of the sauce it really wasn’t anything special. I also did not think it was as simple as Cooks’ Illustrated did since it involved lots of equipment and steps for a fairly plain sauce. Russ rates the sauce an 8.

Simple Italian-Style Meat Sauce, Cooks’ Illustrated March / April 2008
Makes about 6 cups

4 ounces white mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed, and broken into rough pieces
1 large slice high-quality white sandwich bread, torn into quarters
2 tablespoons whole milk
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef (not ground round)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped fine (about 1 and ½ cups)
6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained, ¼ cup liquid reserved
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
½ ounce grated Parmesan cheese (about ¼ cup)

Process mushrooms in food processor until finely chopped, about eight 1-second pulses, scraping down side of bowl as needed; transfer to medium bowl. Add bread, milk, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper to now empty food processor and process until paste forms, about eight 1 second pulses. Add beef and pulse until mixture is well combined, about six 1 second pulses.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add onion and mushrooms; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are browned and dark bits form on pan bottom, 6 to 12 minutes. Stir in garlic, pepper flakes, and tomato paste; cook until fragrant and tomato paste starts to brown, about 1 minute. Add ¼ cup reserved liquid and 2 teaspoons fresh oregano (if using dried, add full amount), scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Add meat mixture and cook, breaking meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until beef loses its raw color, 2 to 4 minutes, making sure that meat does not brown.

Stir in crushed and drained diced tomatoes and bring to simmer; reduce heat to low and gently simmer; reduce heat to low and gently simmer until sauce has thickened and flavors have blended, about 30 minutes. Stir in cheese and remaining teaspoon fresh oregano; season with salt and pepper to taste.