Meatsauce and Macaroni

Here in NY there has been an ongoing debate for decades about what to call tomato meat-sauce for pasta. Well, there's a debate on whether to call it pasta or macaroni too, but we'll leave that one alone. As far as the sauce goes, you have your "gravy" or "Sunday gravy" as some folks call it. This is often thought to be the "authentic" Italian terminology among some connoisseurs of the cuisine. I do not agree that all tomato sauce with meat in it is gravy though.

I have made my fair share of gravy over the years. Usually takes about 8 hours or so for me to make up a batch. I have many variations, but the key is to slow-simmer your meats in tomato sauce to the point that all the ingredients are a thick fusion of stewed goodness. With the fats and the flavors melded together it really is a gravy by the time it is done, rather than a sauce, with the meat taking center stage on a tomato base. It's a lot of work and a real treat, but these days it's rare for someone to stand at a pot stirring tomatoes for 8 hours. But then again, who the heck really wants to eat jarred sauce?

Tonight I made a sauce from scratch that was out of this world, and only took maybe two hours rather then 6-8. It wasn't gravy, but it was still tasty and satisfying. The key difference in the flavor profile is that the flavors did not meld together the way they do in gravy. The fresher tomato flavor takes center stage here, distinguishable from the beef. with each ingredient standing up on their own yet playing very nicely together.

Okay, let's get down to it now. Chop half of a large onion. Now take about half of what you have chopped, and begin frying that in the pan with a good dose of olive oil. I just use some middle of the road Filippo Berio cold-pressed as a general purpose olive oil. After the onion gets going and softens up, toss in about a tablespoon full of chopped garlic. You can chop fresh garlic of course, but I keep a big jar of the chopped stuff in my fridge for cheating. Fair notice, it does have a different flavor than fresh, but neither is better or worse. Make sure you don't burn the garlic. Have your tomato ready to add.

Better tomatoes will usually make for a better sauce, but I used some Tuttarosso canned tomatoes that were on sale. Not the best tomats by far, but a step up from the bottom anyhow. We are using whole canned tomatoes, not sauce or chunks, or anything like that. Canneries use the best tomatoes to pack whole, and use the real garbage ones to make puree and paste and so forth. Two cans of regular with the green label, and one blue label can flavored with basil, which is a bit larger. Or maybe 4 regular-sized cans if that's what you have.

Hand crush the first can of tomato into the sizzling onion and garlic. The tomatoes are juicy enough on their own, so you will not need the juice in the can. Drain off the tomato juice beforehand. Discard or use for something else. I just drank mine while I was cooking. If I was making gravy, I would not pour off the tomato juice and instead let it simmer off. But since we aren't cooking the sauce for 8 hours, it would be way too watery if you used all the juice in the sauce. Better quality tomatoes will often be packed in much thicker puree rather than watery tomato juice. You may not want to waste that, adjust accordingly. Fry those tomatoes in the olive oil for a bit until they thicken up some. That's going to be the real trick here. Keep stirring and frying on high heat, allowing the tomato to reduce and sort of  "ripen" against the heat.

Now we are going to pour in a good dose of red wine. Maybe about a cup and half to two cups I suppose. You don't need a pretentious fancy wine, especially for cooking, but use something you like the taste of. I like Carlo Rossi Paisano wine. Add a sprinkle of sugar, maybe a tablespoonful. Let that all reduce a little now, and then we can go ahead and start adding the next can of tomato. One at a time, I hand crushed from the larger can this time. Keep stirring and reducing.

After I got through two of the cans, I added the rest of the onion, another spoonful of garlic and another big splash of wine, maybe about a cup or so this time. The fresh onion will add a bit more zip, but will also act as a marker of sorts. You will see them soften up and become a bit translucent as they cook down, giving you an idea of how well cooked your tomato is becoming as you hand crush the tomats from your last can. You really want to cook out that canned flavor and get the sauce to thicken up. When the fresher onion doesn't look much different from the onion we started with, you're about there.

If you continue to reduce a bit longer and then season, you would have a nice chunky marinara. But we are taking it to the next level here to make it a meat sauce. So leave it a little juicy still for a final reduction in a moment.

Fry ground beef, well-seasoned with salt and pepper. I find that cooking partially frozen ground beef makes it a little more tender. Put a lid on it and cook over medium heat for a bit. Once it is all softened, break it up well and finish browning. A second round of seasoning may be in order too once the meat is all broken up. A very lean ground beef should not need to be drained. I used an 80% and drained off maybe about a third of the fats and juices from the pan. A pound and a half of meat, maybe two pounds, should be enough.

Now we are going to throw the meat in with the tomato, and continue to reduce. Let the tomato and the meat meld a bit and continue to reduce. I left it on high heat the entire time and just kept stirring. Didn't cover or simmer at all, just kept frying it all.

Don't season too early, or your herbs will scorch and lose their flavor entirely. Fresh might be better, but I used dried herbs. Easier to keep on hand. Parsley, basil, and oregano. I like to go a little heavier on the oregano. You might also like to add some zip with some crushed red pepper.

Once it is reduced to the texture and thickness you like, it's ready to be served over your favorite shape of macaroni. I decided to leave the sauce a little bit juicy still, and did a final reduction with the macaroni right in the sauce to suck up the last of the juices. I used penne and cheese tortellini together for a special treat. Boil the pasta like you normally would, but leave it a little more firm than you would normally serve it. Add the pasta to sauce, and let the last of the juices cook into the macaroni a bit. 

Serve with grated cheese, maybe some garlic bread, after a nice green salad or perhaps with some olives and grapes.

Here is your shopping list:

Whole canned tomatoes, ground beef, onion, garlic, olive oil, macaroni, herbs and spices.

Beef n' Bean Tacos

Forget the Bell, the ones you can make at home taste better and are much healthier than factory fast food.Tacos make a great meal-in-one, or you can serve along with chips and salsa, Spanish rice, or other Mexican and Latino favorites.

The heart of this taco is obviously the beef n' beans. Now you could just fry up some ground beef and fold in some canned beans. Small red or black beans would work best. However, I go to a bit more trouble on taco night, and whip up a big batch of my Southwest Beef to use as my primary taco filling, with enough leftovers to use other ways in the next few days. This stuff makes a slammin' taco filling. Just click on the link there to get that recipe.

Now we have to decide the taco shell. You could just go with the standard corn tortilla shell, store bought. You could go with soft tacos, made with flour tortilla wraps. Or you could do what I do, and step it up a notch by lightly frying some tortillas. There are usually 3 sizes to choose from. I go with the medium, makes a pretty big taco, but you could go gargantuan too if you prefer, or use the small ones for a standard size taco. The medium ones are usually the lowest cost per unit I have found.

Actually frying the tortilla is a bit of an art, and I don't have it down to a science yet. On one occasion I got some cheap tortillas at Walmart that really turned out bad for this and just fell apart. So start with a good tortilla. In a frying pan, pour in some canola oil and bring up the temp. Proper frying is supposed to be done at specific temperatures, but I don't have a temp setting on my burner, and since we are not actually deep frying, sticking in a cooking thermometer probably won't be much help. I just wait, and go by the shimmer of the oil, the smell coming up in the air, and then flick a few droplets of water in the pan to make sure is crackles real good. (Be very careful, water in hot oil explodes, and you will have hot oil all over the place if you aren't careful.)

Lay the tortilla in the pan, and fry until golden brown. The tortilla may puff up, not to worry. You can stick a fork in it if you really find that unnerving, or you are getting an uneven fry. Keeping an eye on the edges will help you gauge how done it is on the first side, but peeking will do no harm either. Be careful not to overcook. We are looking for it to be a little crispy, but not actually crunchy. Don't forget, we still have to fold this thing when it is done. Some people choose to only fry one side for this reason, but I go ahead and fry both sides, using a regular metal (not plastic) pancake turner to flip them. Now fold the tortilla over in half and lay it on a paper towel to cool and drain.

Repeat this process for the number of tacos you intend to make. You will likely need to add a bit more oil to the pan for every two or three tortillas. I also find that the tortillas tend to fry quicker as I get going along, but don't let the oil get too hot, or they will start to flashburn.

Now it's time to address the fixins. You can have them all ready ahead of time. I use the standard taco fixins, lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese and a schmear of sour cream. Since I am using my Southwest Beef mix, I won't need any salsa, but you might want to keep a bottle of hotsauce on hand for taco night.

Shredded or chopped lettuce, but don't do this too far ahead of time because it causes bruising. Some people have different tricks to stop lettuce from starting to brown on the edges, I just don't bother to shred too far ahead of time.

All different sort of tomatoes out there to choose from, but I usually go with some little cherry tomats. I slice them into little wheels to hold in all the juices and seeds. Of course, you can use a bigger tomato and chop it up nicely into little cubes, but I always hated wasting all the juices left on the cutting board, and it makes for a taco that is a little sloppy.

Even more than tomats, there are all sorts of cheeses out there. Of course we will want shredded cheese, but what kind? Cheddar would do fine, Monterey Jack, and there are all sorts of authentic Mexican cheeses too. I usually wind up getting a bag of the Mexican blend at the supermarket, or shredding my own Jack n Cheddar blend. I stay away from the taco blend in the bag though. It's just shredded cheese doused with salt nitrites and a factory season blend. Too much seasoning tends to clash and creates a muddled flavor profile. We want to keep the flavors fresh, and I like the cheese to taste like cheese.

Now finally, the assembly. First, lay in a heaping spoonful or two of your beef n' bean mix. Next give the inside of the shell a schmear of sour cream. As you are making the assembly, be gentle with the shell, so that it does not crack and split. Lay in some of the shredded cheese over the meat. It will get a little melty action too if the meat is hot enough. Top with shredded lettuce and your tomato wheels. Line up two or three on a plate, and you are all set to chow down.

At the grocery store you will need: All of the ingredients to make Southwest Beef, round flour tortillas, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheese (shredded blend perhaps), and canola oil if you have none in your pantry.

Southwest Beef

Now some folks might just call this chili. But real authentic Texas chili only has meat and sauce, and on the opposite end mainstream chili is more like a soup or a stew. Both are slow cooked for hours usually. This recipe is a bit different from either, cooks much faster, and can be used in several different applications. I first used it for home-made sloppy joes that blew the doors off the canned stuff. It has become my regular filling for tacos and burritos, tastes great in a grilled cheese melt, I even used it as a topping for pizza last night. Try it on hotdogs, as a topper for a bowl of mac n' cheese or Spanish rice. And of course, you could even use it as a stand-alone quick chili bowl. Depending on your intended use though, some slight variations might be in order for consistency.

I usually cook this in my electric frying pan, but my flat bottomed wok would probably work too. For this batch, we'll set the ratio mark for the ingredients based on about three pounds of ground beef. 85% lean beef is probably best. 80% you will have to drain a bit, but you don't want to go too lean either, you should have some fats in there for rich flavor and consistency. Of course, if you want your final product a little more “dry,” a leaner mix isn't going to hurt anyone. You might want it drier for taco filling, or more “soupy” for a bowl of chili. But more on that later.

Let's start with some chopped onion. I use about half of a large onion, or one smaller onion, well chopped. Toss that in the pan to fry a little with some cooking oil. I'm a canola guy these days for general use. Little healthier and more buttery tasting than vegetable oil. While the onion is getting some sizzle, I go ahead and chop up some red and green pepper. About half of each pepper. Slice into thin strips by halving the half, halve those again, and one more time or two. Then dice those strips off lengthwise so you have nice well chopped little squares. Of course, if you have a food processor, that would make quick work of it. I like the onion cooked more than the peppers, but you could get away with throwing them all in together then giving them some high heat sizzle.

They don't need to be thoroughly cooked, but get them softened up a little and then throw the meat in to brown. I slide all the peppers and onion off to one side, then incorporate into the meat a little each time I give it a stir. If you are going to drain off any of the fats, do it now that the meat is browned, and bring it down to a simmer.

Now we are going to season, and season well. Big spoonful of minced garlic. You could throw this in earlier, but I wait so as not to overpower the other flavors or burn the garlic. Next we are going to really go at it with dried seasonings. A thorough dusting of garlic powder and onion powder, like a little snowstorm just popped up over the pan. Don't go too insane though. You can always add more if you need it but the only way to fix over seasoning is to add more meat. We're going to do a second round of seasoning in a moment anyway. Finish off this first round with a thorough dusting of chili powder, and a bit of fresh ground black pepper. Go easy on the black pepper though, it can be bitter if you use too much, and there is no need for salt in this recipe. Store brand chili powder is just fine but you could use your own personal blend if you prefer, of course.

Incorporate all of that seasoning into the meat as you continue to mix on simmer. For most applications, I like the meat broken up well rather than in big chunks. Continue simmering and break out a big bottle of ketchup. For this, I really do recommend Heinz. Sometimes you can get away with generic stuff, but here, the Heinz really does make a good show. Give the meat a nice squirt and coat it from one side of the pan to the other, up and down, back and forth. Mix it all in, continue to simmer for a few more minutes.

Now we are going to fold in some small red beans. Half a can to a can, depending on your preferred bean to meat ration. Be careful stirring now though, don't want to break up the beans too much, and canned beans can be pretty soft. We're almost done now, so give it a taste. Wow, careful, dont burn yourself. Let the spoonful cool down enough, so you can taste it properly. Chances are, you are going to need a second good round of seasoning. Use all the same as above. If you want to add some herbs, like parsley or cilantro, now would be the time. Adding herbs too early only burns them and loses the potency of their flavors.

And with that, once you have it fine-tuned the seasoning it's all set to be used in whatever preparation you have in mind.

On a few occasions I have been without fresh garlic or onion and got away with just the powdered seasoning just fine. In fact, in competition chili cook-offs, many competitors prefer powdered. It's easier to keep on hand and easier to measure in order to get an exact flavor each time. The red and green peppers though, I won't bother to make this if I don't have them. You could skip the small red beans, but they do add a nice flavor and texture element, and help to stretch your protein dollar, being a lot cheaper than ground beef. Some folks prefer larger kidney beans, or milder pinto beans. Black beans might work well for a south of the border version, maybe with some shoepeg corn tossed in for added sweetness.

If you want to really put the sloppy in sloppy joe, use more ketchup. For a taco, you probably want a little less sloppy and more meaty, so ease back on the ketchup. Adjusting the ketchup levels will affect your seasoning though too, keep that in mind. If you're going to serve it as a bowl of chili, maybe with a little melted shredded cheese on top, you might add some hand crushed canned tomatoes to make it a little more soupy, and go with a more course chop on your veggies for rustic heartiness.

If you come up with any variations or uses that you think others might enjoy, go ahead and drop me an email, or post right here below in the comments box.


Here's your shopping list:

Ground beef, red beans, red and green pepper, onion, garlic, ketchup, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and a wee bit of cooking oil.

(Revised, 2/2011)

Easy Italian Dinner

There's nothing quite as good as “Sunday Gravy,” the nice slow simmered meat-sauce that has made Italian cuisine famous the world over. Unfortunately, I am like most people today and rarely have six to eight hours in a single day to stand in the kitchen stirring a pot of sauce. So tonight we will take a big shortcut. Traditional Italian folk would see it as a culinary sin to have jarred sauce violating their pantry shelf, but I usually keep a few jars on hand for this dinner idea.

Let's chop up a small onion, or half of a larger onion. I like white onions for their milder, cleaner flavor. Take out some mushrooms, rinse. If you don't buy them sliced, go ahead and slice them up now. Smash and mince enough garlic for about a tablespoon's worth, unless you have a jar of minced already on hand.

We'll start to fry the onions on high heat with a little butter. Next we'll throw some ground beef in the pan. A pound or so of 80-85% is best, you don't want it to be too lean. If you only have very lean ground beef, make sure you have some extra butter on hand to toss in there in a bit. Once the meat is mostly browned, go ahead and toss your mushrooms in there, along with your garlic. A little salt and pepper too. Once the meat is browned, and the mushrooms have taken in some of the juices, go ahead and add your tomato sauce.

Tonight I had two 16 oz. Jars of some expensive stuff that I got on clearance at half price. But here's the trick with jarred sauce. You don't have to buy the expensive small-batch private-label stuff, but don't go middle of the road either with the corporate name-brand ones that wind up in the circular every other week. Mainline jarred sauces are usually too salty and way over-seasoned. Go right for a generic. Try a few different ones until you find one you like, but the nice thing about the generic labels is that they are mostly tomato and rather bland. That's what you want, so it will take on the flavors of the meat you now have simmering.

Kick the heat back up a little and keep stirring, so that the sauce actually begins to fry a little in the meat fats. You didn't drain that meat now did you? Don't be scared of a little fat, that's the flavor, and that's what gives it the velvety texture of gravy. If you only had lean meat, go ahead and toss in a chunk of butter now. Keep on stirring. I can still hear Ray Liotta in everyone's favorite gangster movie, “Don't let the sauce stick.” You're gonna be stirring for a good ten minutes or so, but it beats six hours of it. You want all the fats to really incorporate into the sauce and for the tomato to “ripen” a little more in the pan. The sauce will have a nice sheen but the fats should not be pooled on the top.

Go ahead and pull the sauce off the heat and cover or keep on a very low simmer, while we cook the pasta. I prefer ziti or penne, but small shells, orecchiette, or elbows work nice too. Go with what you like. I usually stay away from long cuts of pasta for this though, like spaghetti or fettuccine. Don't fully cook the pasta. Drain, but reserve some of the starchy water, or don't fully drain.

Return the pasta to the pan and pour in your meatsauce, along with your starchy water if you held some aside. It will help the sauce stick to the pasta now. Bring up the heat and stir it all together. The pasta should finish cooking right there in the sauce, so it absorbs some of the tomato. This works better with smaller cuts of pasta, which is why I don't use the long cuts like spaghetti. Much easier to stir and incorporate with the sauce. If I only have spaghetti on hand, I usually fully cook it, and serve the sauce on top. That also works better with fresh, good quality pasta rather than the box stuff.

So that's your main course. Serve the pasta in a nice deep dish plate or wide shallow bowl. Sprinkle with some grated parmesan and/or romano. If you like, maybe a little dried oregano or crushed hot red pepper. Some also like a dollup of ricotta cheese. 

But we did say this was gonna be a meal. So before you serve the pasta, you should serve a salad, which can be made up ahead of time. Tear up the lettuce by hand. Chopping it will cause the edges to brown and that really is just not attractive. Next we'll go ahead and peel the skin from some cucumber. Then I cut down into it lengthwise about a third of the way, one way and then intersecting, so there is a cross pattern if you look at it from the end. Now go ahead and slice it so that each slice falls out into four wedges. Of course, you can go ahead and chop it up any way you like. Some prefer to leave the skin on for added nutrition. Slice up some radish nice and thin. Then we need some tomato. Don't buy garbage tomatos. Spend the extra money, get at least some middle of the road tomatos. I usually get a pint of some cherry tomats, and then halve them or slice into rounds. Toss with a few green and/or black pitted olives. Nice simple green salad, dress with Italian dressing, or your own favorite. I actually like a nice Vermont honey-French that you can find in the supermarket.

And of course to round out an Italian meal like this you need garlic bread. Italian bread is obviously first choice, but you can use rolls, sliced bread, whatever ya got. Smear the face with butter. Of course you want it softened to room temperature, if you pull it right out of the fridge you'll rip the bread apart. Now a lot of people have gotten into using fresh garlic on their garlic bread. Frankly, I don't like it that way. I still prefer to sprinkle it over nicely with garlic powder. Sprinkle with just a bit of grated cheese too if you like, but keep your guests in mind too. Some folks have an aversion to grated cheese. Throw it in the oven or toaster oven, and keep an eye right on it. You want to get it nice and toasty, golden brown, but in a flash it will go too far and burn, so really keep an eye on it. Finish with a dash of dried oregano or herb blend. Serve with your main course, and maybe a small piece alongside your salad.

Now to top it all off, go ahead and serve some ice cream or sorbet for dessert. I Like a little dish of mint chocolate chip ice cream. After a heavy meal like this, the mint is nice and refreshing, not too heavy like some other flavors. I don't bother with any heavy topping either, but a few maraschino cherries and a little bit of the juice over the ice cream seem to really hit well with the chocolate in there. I don't like to go endorsing brands too much, but the Turkey Hill brand really is the best mint ice cream, because they sort of shave the chocolate in so it melts in your mouth right along with the ice cream. Other mint ice cream the chips are almost like plastic in your mouth, I don't like that much. Edy's is putting out limited quantities of Spumoni ice cream lately, an Italian favorite. A scoop of lemon sorbet served in a martini glass with a sprig of fresh mint would also be really classy and refreshing, without much fuss.

So there ya go, a nice Italian meal that you can serve any night of the week without too much fuss or hassle.

Here is your grocery list:

For the salad you will need lettuce, tomato, cucumber, radish, olives, and dressing.

For your main course you will need pasta, jarred sauce, ground beef, onion, garlic, butter, bread, herbs/spices and cheeses.

 And don't forget dessert!