Pasghetti

It's gotten chilly again. Okay fine, it's dropped down to seasonal temperatures instead of the balmy mid-teens we enjoyed last week. Still, what better excuse for comfort food than an evening with wind chill? With that, and my meager budget in mind, the other night I improvised a meat sauce and spaghetti with what I had on hand. It was quick and dirty, but definitely hit the spot.

So, armed with just over a pound of ground beef, a half a can of roma tomatoes, chopped, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, half a diced onion, a half cup of baco noir, a tablespoon of dried Italian herb mix, and salt and pepper to taste, I set to making a meat sauce.

After sautéeing the onion and garlic until golden, I browned the beef and put aside half for another batch. Once that was done, and drained, I added the herbs, spices, tomatoes and wine. Then I just left it to simmer for 30 minutes, adding water when the sauce got too thick. And voilà! A hearty meat sauce to go with perfectly al dente spaghetti.

They say spring has sprung, and I for one look forward to eating lighter fare on sun kissed patios, but Friday's forecast high being (a well below seasonal) 1^°C with a windchill of -3, I'm glad I've got lots of leftovers of meaty, flavourful pasta.