Godfather spaghetti sauce -- you never know, you might have to cook for 20 guys some day

You see, you start out with a little bit of oil. Then you fry some garlic. Then you throw in some tomatoes, tomato paste, you fry it; ya make sure it doesn't stick. You get it to a boil; you shove in all your sausage and your meatballs; heh�? And a little bit o' wine. An' a little bit o' sugar, and that's my trick."

Our thanks to the Urban Possum for this -- click on the headline to go there.

The scene with Clemenza appears in the novel, but not the actual recipe. According to the DVD commentary, the recipe came from Francis Ford Coppola, who directed the film. He says he put the recipe in the script because, if the film flopped, at least whoever saw it would learn how to make spaghetti sauce. In other words, this is meant to be an Important Scene.

There are some clues as to proportions that aren't mentioned. Clemenza is talking to Mikey just as he's emptying two cans of tomatoes into the sauce. That tells us the proportions he's using. When he adds the sausages and meatballs, you realize from their color that they've already been cooked. He splashes in wine straight from the jug, and it's a deep red wine. The sugar is dumped in from a measuring cup, and it looks to be about a quarter-cup.

So. Here's how the recipe looks, to serve 8 to 10 people:

Spaghetti Sauce

2 tbsp. olive oil
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large (28-ounce) cans tomatoes (whole, crushed or chopped)
1 10-ounce or 2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
3 to 4 Italian sausages, grilled and sliced
1 lb. cooked meatballs (use your favorite recipe)
Dry red wine
1/4 cup sugar

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pot.
2. Add garlic and cook for a few minutes. Do not let the garlic burn.
3. Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring continuously so that a relatively smooth consistence is reached.
4. Add sausages and meatballs. Stir until the meat is coated.
5. Add a splash of red wine, then the sugar according to taste.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for a minimum of 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.
7. Serve by ladling over cooked pasta.

Tip: If you normally have problems with gas after eating a sauce like this, you can reduce them by skimming the surface of acid (reddish-orange pools of foam will form on the surface).

Tip 2: If you're using canned whole tomatoes, draining them and then crushing them by hand will result in a chunky sauce. Canned crushed tomatoes will create a slightly thinner sauce, while canned chopped tomatoes will result in a thicker sauce.