Jan-chan’s Tidbits

The first time I’ve made this meat sauce was during cooking class in high school. I remember it was in Gr. 8 and I hated cooking back then because it seems like there are so much work. Look what happened in less than 10 years?! I’m writing about my kitchen experiments.

This tomato meat sauce is really easy to make. So easy that I don’t even have a recipe written down for it (I think I threw away my notes from cooking class already). There is minimal chopping and all you really need to know is how to use a can opener.

Basic Tomato Meat Sauce (makes about 3 – 3.5 cups)

1/2 lb lean ground beef/turkey/chicken (whatever you feel like having)
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp oil
1 can (28 oz.) whole tomato (cut them up in the can with a pair of scissors)
1-2 cans (6oz.) tomato paste (use 2 cans to thicken sauce faster or if you like a thicker consistency)
1-2 tbsp dried oregano
1 large bay leaf
salt
pepper
sugar

1) Heat a heavy sauce pan or a pot. Use a little bit of oil to coat the bottom and add in the ground beef. Cook the beef throughly, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Use a piece of paper towel to wipe the pan if it is too greasy.

2) In the same pan over medium-high heat, add garlic and stir for about a minute. Add in the diced onion and cook until they start to get brown and translucent. Pour in the can of tomatoes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or giving it a few more cut with the scissors. Add in the tomato paste, bay leaf and oregano (to bring out more flavor, crush the oregano in your hands before sprinkling them in the sauce). Mix well. Once the sauce begins to bubble, reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer thicken to desired consistency. This usually takes about 1-2 hours.

3) When the sauce is almost done, add in salt, pepper and sugar to taste. The sugar will make the sauce less sour so be sure to add it a couple of tbsp at a time and continue tasting until the right sweetness/sourness is achieved. I think I used about 5 tbsp. Add in the cooked beef and let it simmer for another 15-20 mins.

Tips:

1) Use a big sauce pan. When the sauce bubbles, it might splatter all over the stove and on yourself if your pan is too shallow. Using a lid is also a good way to avoid the splatters.

2) Instead of using ground beef, try Italian sausages. Adding some crushed pepper flakes will spice it up nicely.

3) I like to add mushrooms to the sauce sometimes but beware that it might make the sauce a bit more runny as it releases water while it cooks.

4) I actually add more than 1 tbsp of oregano. I just follow my nose and add until I can smell the spice.

Posted in pasta, recipes, sauces etc, yummy tidbits

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