Friday, February 18, 2011

Filipino Style Meaty Pasta Sauce

My memories are all food related and scent related. When I smell YSL's Opium, I will instinctively think of my mother. Thinking of my mother makes me crave her spaghetti, which was probably the dish that started it all for me. It doesn't follow a classic Italian recipe but has the same basic ingredients plus a few tweaks here and there, which is why I call it Filipino style, but it's really Myrna Lofranco style.

Mommy's Spaghetti Sauce:

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
salt to taste
1 tbsp of white sugar
1.5 - 2 lbs lean ground beef
12 large cremini mushrooms
1 medium yellow onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 large can/jar of store bought tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
1 can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 small brick of extra old cheddar cheese
1 lb of whatever pasta your heart desires, my mom always used spaghettini

Finely chop the onions and garlic, quarter your mushrooms.


In a large pan, brown your ground beef on medium high heat. Season liberally with salt. Set aside.


In a big pot, soften the onion in the olive oil on medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add your ground beef and garlic. After the meat, onion and garlic are incorporated into each other, add your tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, basil, and can of cream of mushroom soup. Bring it to a boil and add your cremini mushrooms. Reduce the heat after 5 minutes, add your sugar and simmer covered for 20 minutes.


The colour lightens and looks creamier after you add the soup!


Grate as much of the cheddar cheese as you want, it's mainly for serving, you can afford to be generous with it, it only makes it taste better! Trust me on this, I know it's weird.


Voila! Mommy Spaghetti Sauce on some egg noodles, with a sprinkling of sharp cheddar cheese. I ordinarily use white cheddar for looks and cause it's what my mom used, but they taste the same. This dish makes me feel like I'm 6 years old every time. Only takes 30 minutes to make but makes me immeasurably happy!

2 comments:

  1. mmmm ive had your meat sauce and now i am craving it :(

    ReplyDelete
  2. There's some in my freezer still! Come and get it!

    ReplyDelete