Midnight meat sauce

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 01/09/2015 at 01:46 • Filed to: Foodlopnik

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I picked up ingredients to make a quick/simple from-scratch meat sauce the other day, but I've been busy and didn't get a chance to actually make it. So now it's 12:45 am, and I've got meat sauce simmering away on the stove.

The main reason I'm making it now is my gf has been visiting her mom for the past several days—her dad passed away a couple weeks ago—and is coming home tomorrow afternoon/evening. I told her I was making this and she got all excited to come home to some meat sauce and rigatoni.

So...I'm making sure the sauce is here waiting for her when she arrives. And I'm a night owl anyway. And I get to eat some as soon as this pasta is ready.

GeorgeyBoy > Textured Soy Protein 01/09/2015 at 01:58

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That's some nice looking meat sauce. I've been putting off grocery shopping and starving to death.

Stef Schrader > Textured Soy Protein 01/09/2015 at 02:16

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Delicious.

(Looks like chili to me. Add cheese, eat with spoon: dinner accomplished.)

saabstory | fixes bikes, breaks cars > Textured Soy Protein 01/09/2015 at 02:28

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mmmmmmm

I want this. Condolences as well. I hope everyone's holding up okay.

TheHondaBro > Stef Schrader 01/09/2015 at 02:32

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Nay to the cheese. Add spaghetti, you'll thank me later.

Tapas > Textured Soy Protein 01/09/2015 at 10:22

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Post Recipe!

Textured Soy Protein > Tapas 01/09/2015 at 11:18

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Here's my best guess at the actual recipe. Stuff like basic sauces and soups I usually just go off the top of my head. I have a fancier, more time-consuming ragu bolognese that I make, but this is my relatively quick version.

1 to 1.25 lbs ground beef (I like 80/20 ground chuck, you can go leaner if you like)
1 medium size yellow onion, small dice
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-oz can of whole peeled tomatoes (San Marzano if you can get them, otherwise Muir Glen organic)
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp dried oregano
8 oz red wine
1/2 a small package fresh basil, finely chopped
1/2 of basil package chiffonade*
2 bay leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
1 tbsp fish sauce or oyster sauce**
Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano for grating (get the real stuff—US-made "parmesan" cheese is garbage, and I say this as a proud Wisconsinite who loves most of the cheese made here)
Your choice of pasta—I recommend something a little substantial that'll hold up to the sauce like nice big rigatoni, fettuccine or tagliatelle

Bring a pot up to temp over medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add onions, season with a little salt, sautee until translucent.

Add ground beef and begin to brown. Once beef has browned some but not all the way, add the garlic and tomato paste. Continue to brown the meat.

Once the meat is browned, add the wine, oregano, basil and bay leaves and simmer.

While this is going on, time to prep the tomatoes. Canned whole peeled tomatoes you crush yourself are way better than canned diced tomatoes. I use a kitchen shears to cut the slightly hard ends off each tomato, then I squeeze the hell out of the tomato in my hands. Over the pot, of course. Make sure your hands are thoroughly washed before doing this. Add the liquid from the tomato can, and simmer over medium-low heat for at least 30 minutes.

At about the 15 minute mark, take a quick taste and add salt & pepper to taste. Go easy on it at first, you can always add more, but you can't subtract. Check the seasoning again at the 30 minute mark.

Cook your pasta while the sauce is simmering, serve sauce over pasta along with grated cheese and basil chiffonade.

* - chiffonade:

** - Regarding fish sauce and oyster sauce: these are Asian ingredients, but according to some food nerd blogs I read they kinda sorta function like anchovies in Italian cooking. In Italian cooking you would often take anchovies and mash them up when you sautee your onions. Either way, the anchovies/fish sauce/oyster sauce doesn't make the final result taste fishy, just more savory. I didn't have fish sauce or anchovies around the house last night but I did have oyster sauce, so I added a tbsp, and it was tasty. If you want to add this, just add it when you add the other liquids before simmering. Or you can add a couple anchovies to your onions.

Hmm...it sounds pretty detailed when I type it out. But I promise, it's not that complicated. Like I said, I just do this through habit without really thinking about it.

Tapas > Textured Soy Protein 01/09/2015 at 11:33

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Thank you very much for your post :)

The sauce looks delicious :)

Textured Soy Protein > Tapas 01/09/2015 at 11:35

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Sure, no problem. I made it into its own post too.