Portuguese Sauce

Portuguese Sauce for pasta

This recipe is an old family favorite, brought from Montreal by my Aunt Lillian.  It is not at all like any other
Portuguese recipes I have seen, but she maintains it is indeed from there.  The flavor is unusual and bright,
the texture is full-bodied and satisfying, it is inexpensive, and it is very healthful.  This recipe makes almost
a gallon of sauce, which may seem like a lot, but it freezes very well.  You may want to make a half batch the
first time to see how well you like it.  Don't eat it on consecutive days just because the leftovers are handy.
This dish has a peculiarity: somehow the pleasing and unusual flavor you enjoy today will seem uninteresting
tomorrow.  I don't understand why but I notice this consistently.   Freeze the leftovers and have them in a
week or so.  You will enjoy them more then.

Ingredients:
Two tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
Two to four cloves garlic
Two onions
Two green bell peppers
A head of green cabbage, about six inches (15 cm) in diameter
Two cups or half a pound (500 ml or 250 g) of sliced fresh mushrooms
A 28 ounce can (750 ml) of crushed tomatoes
A six ounce (175 ml) can of tomato paste
Grated sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

Method:
In a large saucepan (six or eight quart) warm the olive oil over medium-low heat.  Crush and add the garlic.
Cover.  Dice the onions and add them.  Stir and cover.  Dice the bell peppers, add them, stir and cover.  Slice
fine or grate (like for cole slaw) the cabbage, discarding the core.  Stir in and cover.  Cook this mixture covered
with occasional stirring on low heat until the cabbage is limp.  This will take about 40 minutes.  As the cooking
proceeds, check to see if a lot of liquid is accumulating in the bottom of the pan.  If this occurs, cook with the
cover off for a bit to let the water escape.  When the cabbage is limp, add the mushrooms, the tomatoes and
the tomato paste.  Mix all together well, bring to a boil and the sauce is ready.  Serve over pasta of choice.
This sauce is best when topped with grated sharp yellow cheese, such as cheddar.

Here's an alternative to the mushrooms: lentils.  Cook a half-cup (80g) of lentils in one and one half cups of
(125cc) water for twenty minutes, drain and stir them in to the finished sauce.  The lentils don't alter the
taste of the sauce but they do add a lot of protein.  I like them with or without the mushrooms.