As you are probable already aware, I like to mess around with a recipe. Sometimes I just leave it alone for a while and I get a little bored with it. I can't remember if I have already shared this recipe with you, I believe I have, but it is so good. This is a recipe I created to be exactly what I want in a pasta meat sauce. I wanted it meaty, thick and with pieces of onion that have not quite cooked completely into the sauce. I remember it took several tries before this settled into what I present to you here. This recipe has not changed for quite some time. Which means it is about time I start messing with it.

I am thinking of adding more onion in two stages. The first, I think I will add well-chopped and at the beginning, so it cooks down and becomes a part of the sauce. Then add the remainder later, so there are plenty of pieces of onion swimming around in the sauce. With mushrooms, I think if I add any to this recipe it would be chopped, so only the flavor is noticeable. The texture of a sliced mushroom would be in competition with the meat. So the mushrooms need to be a smaller size. Would you do it differently?

I might also add a little heat by dropping in a pinch of cayenne. Not much, just enough to add some zing to it. (I just reread the recipe and I am shocked. Where is the black pepper? Shouldn't it have pepper in it? I should think so. What was I thinking?)

I hope you will try this sauce and let me know what you might do with it if you make it again. I like getting notes back from you. It is a connection to my readers I value tremendously. Let me hear from you!

Mix all ingredients in 4 quart or larger pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about two hours or until of desired consistency. Add 1 teaspoon basil during the last half hour. Serve over spaghetti or your favorite pasta. This sauce freezes well so any leftovers can go in the freezer for another meal down the road.