Pasta Sauce!

So . . . last week I made pasta sauce (tomato & meat) for the first time in six months.  No, I didn't give it up for an extended lent (or Omer, or Ramadan, depending on your faith) - I tend to make large batches (and freeze it) and only recently finished the last batch.  I love making pasta sauce, even though it takes several hours.  This twice-a-year (or so) activity is probably one of my favorites to do in the kitchen (cooking-wise; get your mind out of the gutter, sicko).  Why I love making it, and the recipe (kind of) after the jump.

One of my favorite chefs on the Food Network (actually, Food Network Canada - I don't think he's known in the US, other than his losing appearance on Iron Chef USA) is Michael Smith.  He's the really tall one who says "wooder" instead of "water."  What I like about his show (Chef At Home) is his focus on not being beholden to a recipe when cooking.  This is how I tend to cook.

Maybe if I'm trying something for the first time I'll follow the recipe, but I find a lot of recipe are short on flavour.  I would much rather take the basics of a recipe (the core ingredients, cooking times, etc) and season it to my own tastes or those of my family.    This is why I tend to like my own food best of all (well, that and the fact that I am a truly excellent cook who deserves his own cooking show and product line with my smiling face on it) - because I'm seasoning it for me.  I don't like pancakes other than the ones I make, because they don't have the flavours I like.

(Pancakes: Beat an egg.  Add one cup flour, one cup milk, two teaspoons baking powder, pinch of salt.  Add anything else you want.  I usually put some brown sugar, vanilla, and chocolate chips, but berries work too.  The key - add something!  The basic recipe with no sugar, etc is boring and tasteless.)

This is what I like about pasta sauce.  While the basics (below) are the same every time, each time I make the sauce is an opportunity to both experiment and perfect.  Change the herbs, meats, and so on.  Again, the basic recipe is pretty boring, but you can add to it pretty much anything and it jazzes it up.  Making something your own is a very rewarding experience, especially when it turns out well. 

The recipe (presented as its lowest multiple - expand as needed - I usually at least triple this): In a pot big enough to hold the whole sauce, saute one diced onion, a fair amount of minced garlic (fresh garlic!  The stuff they sell in the jar has an acidic preservative that makes it all taste like vinegar), and small diced sweet pepper with some olive oil (enough, doesn't need to be excessive).  Once it's softened, add one pound ground beef and immediately season with salt (or seasoned salt) and pepper.  Don't be shy with the seasonings.  Stir regularly until the ground beef is cooked.  Add one can crushed tomatoes and one can diced tomatoes (I never used to like canned tomatoes, and still don't care for their smell, but they are plenty ripe and work well for sauce).  Season with herbs and bring to a gentle boil.  Once boiling turn the heat way down so it can simmer for a while, at least an hour.  You'll need to stir every few minutes so it doesn't stick.

See?  Not that special.  But you can add value.  Things I pretty much do every time now include using thin-sliced steak (or veal; I used to use veal but my wife doesn't eat veal.   Cut steak/veal into bite-sized squares and season with salt, pepper, garlic & onion powders, then saute until fully cooked and add to the sauce after the tomatoes), mushrooms (sauteed before adding to sauce, or they will get watery like canned mushrooms are; really fry the crap out of them before adding to sauce after the tomatoes), diced fresh tomatoes (four or five of them, added after the meat but before the canned tomatoes), fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, dill, basil; oregano is actually better dried as it has more concentrated flavour), and spinach (added just before serving, it takes no time to cook).  Sometimes I add sausage too, just cook it (grill, pan or oven) and cut into bite-sized chunks, add to the sauce after the tomatoes. 

I used to add wine (after tomatoes) but now I don't drink.  I also used to really spice it up with lots of hot peppers but I have kids and they don't go for that.  Once I added cheese, and that gave it an interesting flavour but really changed it, and I like my more classic-flavoured sauce.

Look, I know I'm probably way more excited about my sauce than anyone else, and maybe you have no interest in making it.  But whatever you do love making, make it your own.  Experiment in the kitchen (again, cooking!) and see what results you get.  My sauce this weekend?  One of the best I've made in a while.  Come over, I'll boil some pasta and we'll eat.