> > the "real trick" to making great spaghetti sauce is slow cooking. At least 3 hours of simmering on low to mingle flavours and reduce liquid content. That part can't be skipped, or faked in a pressure cooker, and it makes a HUGE difference. (I think, though, that for slow cooking it might be a bad idea to include broccoli.)
>
> Wow. That is EXACTLY what I do too... I have never found it to be bad to do the broccoli this way, but I always add the broccoli last, so that may have something to do with it.

That explains it. Otherwise broccoli, like its cabbage relative, will break down over a prolonged period and give off less-than-palatable sulphur odors. But since nice green broccoli is really healthy and yummy to eat, adding it in the last 15 minutes is a great idea.


> You mention reducing the liquid content-- I find that I get my liquids pooled at the top of the sauce rather than completely eliminated, and I usually end up trying to scoop the liquid out with a ladle. Do you have the same experience, or does your liquid evaporate off?
>

Well, I don't want to remove any liquid because that removes the very flavours I'm trying to intensify. I reduce it over a long period with occasional stirring, until the whole thing thickens up naturally. The way to do this in a reasonable amount of time is to remove as much liquid from the starting ingredients at the beginning: pre-fry the ground beef and drain off and discard the fatty liquid; definitely sauté the sliced mushrooms until the shroom juice is reduced and absorbed before adding them into the pot (mushrooms give off huge amounts of water). I also strain off any juice from the canned plum tomatoes and set it aside, adding this liquid later only if the sauce ever gets too dry.


> I never use the store-bought pre-spiced stuff (unless I'm in a real hurry)

Hey, there's nothing wrong with using large palmfuls of the dried spices as well as the fresh herbs. I use both kinds of the same herb in one dish. They each concentrate different aspects of a given spice -- the dried stuff is a base, lingering and powerful; the fresh herbs tend to be lighter, sweeter, and more aromatic. Use sufficent quantities of dried spice and it'll cut down considerably on the amount of salt needed to bring everything together.


> but I do buy the cans of tomato paste to use as a base. I usually use two large cans of paste, but I sometimes substitute a can of strained diced tomatoes to make a chunkier sauce.
>

There are difficulties with substituting the canned tomato paste part. The paste itself adds body...


> Either way, of course, I spice it to my personal tastes. I may have to try the peeled carrots idea-- I often have them in the house as a healthy snack anyway, so when I actually have time to make spo, I should toss them in.
>

Yep, definitely try it for the added sweetness! One can shred up the carrots in a grater first before adding them, but that's messy. I use a vegetable peeler and peel off thin shreds of carrot directly into the pot. Cooking breaks these down and reduces them nicely.


> > > Gri"tripe sounds like a spice"shny
> >
> > Wolf "whoops, can't think of any spices that sound similar to tripe" spirit
>
> Don "Tripe Spice? Was she the mysterious sixth Spice Girl?" Monkey

To go with tripe, she could be Salt-n-Pepper Spice, then :)

Wolfspirit