Good morning, this year meat sauce was my valentine.
The fact that I haven’t yet written an ode to meat sauce is actually wild because it’s the one food food I can make without looking at instructions. I do look up a recipe or two to confirm my suspicions/memory re the amount of oil to prep with, but I basically know how to do this by myself. And the confidence this instills in me is world-changing and begins at the grocery store:
For a moment, I’m looking for “what’s in season” and am inspired to stock up on root vegetables that I have no idea how to prepare.
I have to suspend this delusional story line as I pass right by the tomatoes. Everyone knows tomatoes are a key ingredient in meat sauce. Some might feel this is cheating, but I’m simply doing what I can. And when I make homemade meat sauce, I’m resourceful.
My culinary persona is back the moment I enter the meat and dairy section of the market. As I approach the cheese counter, Ina is with me.
I grab some Castelvetrano olives while I’m at it, and make a mental note to pick up some flowers on my way home.
Perusing the meat, I feel alive. I’m normally here to buy plain old chicken breast that I simply cook in a pan, but today I’m here for the grown-up stuff: ground meat. And what a COMFORT it is to buy ground meat. I don’t think we’re talking enough about how long it lasts in the fridge. Whenever I buy chicken a panic descends, the expiration date somehow already fast-approaching. What if the grocery trip scratched the cooking itch and I’m not in the mood to make dinner by the time I get home? What if I’d rather have pasta? And chicken is a fickle little thing. It doesn’t always feel good to eat it. Tuna fish, steak, tofu, burgers—I could eat those everyday if I wanted. Chicken? Chicken can be an uphill battle for me. Sometimes there are gummy bits. And when I hit a gummy bit, it’s over. I have three days to eat the chicken and that creates pressure. Ground meat however lasts in the fridge for literally a week. What a luxury!
When I do decide the time is right to cook up my meat sauce, I rest assured knowing the meat is safe to eat. And the second wave of comfort arrives the moment I smell the onions sautéing.
It’s inner child healing work! I’m NOURISHING myself.
Usually I’m making dinners that look like this:
*I must take this moment to share a tip from my sister. The seasonal chocolate is always better. It’s FRESH. The heart, pumpkin, christmas tree and egg shapes are always at the top of their game and shelf life. And these Dove milk chocolate hearts are essentially Belgian. A depth of flavor that melts in your mouth—plus fun little messages like “Love is great, but chocolate is better” or “Share a secret.” I take the rose gold foil wrappers and shape them into fake nails when I’m done.
To be clear, this is a fantastic snack bowl with definite nutrients. But I think we can all agree meat sauce is a step up.
And what’s so fun about meat sauce is that it’s totally versatile, you can plop it on anything!
I just got this new gorgeous pasta shape from Trader Joe’s. Each time I go to pour out some of this pasta, I become entranced by the tendrils and need some guidance on when to stop. Pasta bags should have lines indicating serving size based on hunger level.
A few more lovely meat sauce bases:
Oh, and another pro chef tip: cut up some fresh parsley and toss that on.
I just got a new couch and it’s very conveniently the color of meat sauce 💗
Wishing you a cozy weekend,
A
I guess you make everything without reciep, like me !
You know Pho? The 'West' destroyed half the world to get the spices from Southeastasia, but the Vitnamese cook without spices, Pho is a hot soup with spaghetti ond different fresh herbs are picked from a dish, put into the hot water, so they show all their flavour and eaten. But spaghetty with chopsticks was not my style, finally I managed to get Pho with rice !
But the color of your couch ? hmmm. I put new fabric on the matrasses in my littele campervan, IKEA, birds, leaves, fruits, more like your pictures, very nice !
We have a 'turkish market' in Berlin, a lot of herbs, may be I try meat sauce with fresh herbs ? And Potatoes are very different, I prefere the babysized , snack potatoes.