Monday, April 19, 2010

Remember, I'm Not Italian!

So don't make fun of me for my pathetic sauce, here!

This was the best our sky looked all weekend. Notice the bird trying to find safe haven as the clouds gather after a peek of blue in the sky - a peek which was not big enough to allow actual sun into our yard, nor to raise the temperature above 42 degrees.


So, It's no surprise to you that I wanted to cook something warm and filling. And it occurred to me this morning that I've never written down my sad excuse for meat sauce.
One of my daughters has a friend whose parents immigrated from Italy, and she was here one night when I was serving this meal. She was horrified that I had not gone to the supermarket to buy the right kind of tomatoes, peel them, cook them, and do whatever else is considered proper and correct by real Italians. But she ate the pasta anyway, and told my daughter that it was actually pretty good.

So, here it is....

MARJIE'S PATHETIC ATTEMPT AT MEAT SAUCE

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, minced
2 to 3 teaspoons minced garlic
12 ounce can of tomato paste
3 cans of water
14 ounces of canned diced tomatoes
salt to taste
2 tsp dried oregano

Brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic, and a little salt, breaki
ng it up as you cook it. Drain the meat, and stir in the tomato paste. Add 3 cans of water, one at a time, stirring well after each addition, and the tomatoes. Simmer while the pasta cooks. About 2 minutes before serving, add the oregano, taste, and add salt as desired. It's pretty good, even if it's not "real".

14 comments:

The Blonde Duck said...

I think it looks really good. Who wants to peel tomatos? That's what diced tomato cans are for!

Diane said...

Yes I agree that is exactly what tins of tomato paste, whole tomatoes and chopped tomatoes are for. I have seen some of our chefs on the TV use tinned tomatoes as the say they taste good and are convenient. Your recipe looks good to me. Diane

Big Dude said...

Mama Mia - it looks good and if you liked it, it was good. Next time you may want to toss in a little basil.

Kapitein Haakje said...

se bella! :D
looks very very good

Kissslobbers
El'bow & Hauwii

gMarie said...

Oh honey - that's not pathetic. I open a jar of Ragu. I've done that once since Jay & I have been married and I'ver never made spaghetti since. Except to occassionally fix leftovers!!

Pam said...

I think it looks thick, hearty and super tasty.

pam said...

Doesn't look sad to me!

Ann Made Studio said...

It looks pretty delicious from where I sit :)

Linda said...

Looks pretty real to me but I ain't Italian either ;)

Paula said...

Well, I'm Italian and I'd eat it! :-) My husband would most likely ask for seconds, too. Looks very meaty, and penne pasta is one of the best past shapes ever!

The Blonde Duck said...

I'm glad you liked Ralph's statement! :)

Mickle in NZ said...

Hey, nothing wrong with this recipe.

My only flavour suggestion is to stir it around for a couple of minutes after adding the tomato paste. "Browning" the tom paste is recommended in many good tom/meat sauce recipes I read. And yours is is another good tom/meat sauce recipe. Then just carry on and add the water.

Guess who has just purred himself into a happy, dozy snooze!

SissySees said...

Lovely! I use canned paste and diced tomatoes in my sauce, so no feeling guilty!!

Lapdog Creations said...

Looks YUM-O to me!