Italian Spaghetti Sauce

By Febrina Malloy

Ingredients:
1 TB bacon drippings or olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 large can (29 oz) tomato puree (3 cups)
6 oz can tomato paste
2 cups water plus 2 paste cans water (adjust water depending on desired
consistency)
1/4 cup red wine (opt.)
1/4 lb ground beef (optional) or cooked or uncooked beef bones such as from a pot
roast or several from round steak. (Sometimes I add leftover beef gravy, or leftover
meat loaf cut in small pieces.)
dash cloves
1/4 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp sugar
2 1/2 cloves garlic, finely minced
dash cayenne, optional
1/8 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Directions:
1. Brown and drain ground beef. If using bones, brown them well in fat before adding onion.
2. Brown onion lightly in fat, and add other ingredients.
3. Add seasonings. Put fennel seed in a container (such as a tea ball) to be removed before serving.
4. Stir well and simmer covered for at least one hour, or at least two hours if using bones.  Remove bay leaf and fennel seeds before serving.
5. Serve over pasta with Parmesan or Romano cheese sprinkled on, or use in lasagna or other Italian dishes.  Leftover sauce may be frozen.