Spa-ghett-eee

My lovely co-worker John Gresley suggested I blog about the spaghetti lunch I ate today, so here it is. The spaghetti was indeed very delicious; although the noodles were some generic, probably fake-Italian brand, the sauce was excellent as vergueishon and I had made it ourselves, cause you know, we're just that awesome. This past batch we experimented a little, taking some suggestions from an online recipe and adding nutmeg and thyme (never underestimate the importance/power of sweetness in a tomato sauce! sugar is an essential ingrediant and enriches the flavor of the tomato). As well, we substituted white wine for our normal red wine and discovered that the former enhances el sabor (per the suggestion of the host of the Food Network show "Good Eats"). And to top the whole thing off we mixed mushrooms, onions and green peppers in at the last moment.

Pasta sauces, especially tomato sauce, are not that hard to make and are superior (as everything) to that quasi-ketchep shit you get at the grocery store. A tomato sauce is very easy and there are a variety of ways to do it--many recipes are on-line, just google "tomato sauce"--but this is what I prefer to do:

1. Chop a small amount of onion, like half of a big one, and about 2-3 cloves of garlic. Throw both into a sauce pan with melted butter.

2. Cut up about 4-5 roma tomatos (depending on the amount of sauce you need). I chop them small--close to a dice cut--but leave some pieces bigger for a chunky sauce. Throw into the sauce pan once the onions are clear.

3. At this time, add only a few spices, such as salt pepper and oregano, along with a tablespoon thereabouts of olive oil to help everything break down. Let the sauce cook for a while, letting the tomatoes break down, then add a cup or so of white wine. Cook for..er...ten minutes or so.

4. Add in a can of crushed tomatoes and half a can of tomato paste. This is where most of the volume of the sauce comes from. If you wanted to do a different kind of sauce, skip this step entirely, but the tomatoes and onions basically serve as a way to make the sauce chunky and add fresh flavor. This is also when you add all your other spices--basil, thyme, nutmeg and sugar, along with some more salt and pepper. Sometimes I also add crushed pepper flakes to add heat, but thats just an option.

5. Cook the sauce slowly over a low, low flame to bring the flavors together. You should be tasting the sauce throughout the entire process and adjusting the spices as needed (for example, we found it necessary to add additional amounts of sugar, salt and pepper). Do so only in small amounts because you dont want to accidently add too much of something.

Anything else after that is up to you; vergueishon and I added vegetables, but you can also throw in hamburger meat or sausage.

And there you have it folks, a post (sorta) about my spaghetti lunch.