Spaghetti and Turkey Meat Sauce

The best thing about a solid, never-fail, meat sauce is that it is one of the easiest meals to freeze and pull out on a day when you are pressed for time. The sauce gets better with time just like Chinese food. It is easier to go in to the kitchen and prepare something when you know all you have to do is reheat one part and boil water for the other part. And, most importantly, you save money since all you are going on your next shopping trip is more spaghetti noodles.

This sauce is easy in terms of veggies and ingredients. The only problem that I see is the fact that it has to simmer for over an hour and a half, but that is a sacrifice I make for really good sauce. You are rewarded in the end with a healthy, thick sauce with flavor that never goes away.

My biggest dilemma with the sauce is that you will find it hard to stop after one plate.

List of Ingredients: (You should own all these spices already)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups finely chopped onions
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 lbs ground turkey
• 1 tbsp fresh or dried thyme
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tbsp dried leaf oregano
• 1/2 tbsp dried basil
• 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 15-ounce cans whole tomatoes, roughly chopped (you can use crushed tomatoes to save time)
  
• 3 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup dry red wine (Malbec or Sangiovese)
• 1 box thin or regular whole wheat spaghetti
  

Sure, it looks like a lot of ingredients but it really isn't. You should have most of these spices already since they are probably the most commonly used spices in most dishes. If you are wondering why I named two wines, it is because I have had great success with these two wines. They are great in the sauce and go well with the final flavor of the sauce. Plus, you can find great options for under 10 dollars, especially Malbecs like the 2007 Alamos Malbec.

1. In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onions to the pot and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir garlic into the pot and cook until the vegetables are wilted, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the ground turkey to the vegetables, stirring to mix and break up the meat, and cook until starting to brown and no longer pink, about 10 minutes.

3. Season the meat with thyme, Italian seasoning, spices and salt to taste.

4. Add all remaining ingredients .

5. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered until thickened, about 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours, stirring from time to time.

6. Pour sauce over whole wheat spaghetti.

All those ingredients and only 6 steps. Sure, you have to wait a little bit for it to simmer but you can always make it on a Sunday and refrigerate it. It's like living off of pasta and tomato sauce like you did in college but with an adult palate.

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Dolcetto needs more Recognition: Ode to the 100th Grape

I know that an ode is a lyrical verse. Well, I'm not that talented but it sounds great as a title. So don't expect me to break out in to a written rhyme.

I have done it. I have crossed the finish line. I didn't want to wait any longer. I can now say that, "I have tasted 100 different grape varieties."

Dolcetto was her name, a sometimes forgotten Italian grape. This grape has the body and the characteristics to be a regular date to any tomato based Italian dish. I know you have had Chianti with Italian food, and maybe a Sangiovese/Cabernet blend. However, Dolcetto should be the wine of choice for your everyday spaghetti with tomato sauce or with meat sauce. It has some acidity that you wouldn't expect from a red but it has the strength to push back on the tomato flavor.

I have been converted by this last grape in my journey. I don't think I will crave just any Italian wine with my spaghetti bolognese (meat sauce). Don't worry, the recipe is on it's way but I think after this discovery, it will be sooner rather than later. I think I have found the perfect match to a never-fail meat sauce and the bottles of wine can be under $20 dollars. There are a lot of brands but you will have to find the one you like. I had the Pio Cesare Dolcetto d'Alba.

I started this quest a little over 2 years ago and to see it come to a glorious end gets me thinking, "what now?" One hundred grapes down, how many more to go? Don't know. I do know I will continue to keep track of any new grapes and that I'll help my girlfriend get to a hundred. I'm excited to finish this quest but at the same time, sad to see it end.

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Do you know how to boil pasta?

Quite the rhetorical question, right? I don't think it is. Sure, I know you know how to boil water, whether you do it on the stove top or in the microwave, but did you know this is when you should season your pasta? You could salt and pepper the pasta dish all you want once it's plated but to truly season the pasta, you have to do it by seasoning the water.

Pasta needs two things to be added to water more than any other things you could add. Yes, even if all you are doing is making spaghetti to go with plain marinara, you should still add two things: salt and olive oil. Adding salt to the water is the only way of making sure the pasta is seasoned because it will absorb the salty water that it's being boiled in. How much salt should you add? Depends on how much pasta you are making, so if you're making a pound of pasta, you should add about a tablespoon salt to the boiling water. For a single serving of pasta, which is about a quarter of a box of pasta, throw in a teaspoon of salt. The olive oil, on the other hand, isn't for seasoning, but it makes sure you don't get that foamy, overflowing mess all over the stove. If you want to know what the foam is, it's the starch from the pasta mixing with the boiling water, thus the bubbles. The olive oil helps prevent the overflowing bubbles by changing the properties of the water. If you're a science geek, it creates a lipid layer around the starch that prevents the foam from building up. Simply put, no more mess. Again, a tablespoon of oil per pound of pasta. Start to incorporate these two things to your pasta. And try not to overcook your pasta.

You have the basics to great pasta. It's salted and now you can start to add flavor to the pasta. How about throwing in some dried basil or italian seasoning into the boiling water? Or maybe some red pepper flakes and garlic powder. Let's say you are cooking some chicken and the recipe calls for some cayenne and onion, then why not throw in the seasonings in to the water. I'm not asking you to overload the pasta with seasonings but give it some flavor. It will help bring the whole dish together. Now all you have to do is find a way to throw some wine in to the mix and you are set. (Don't do this all the time and don't add it to the water.)

Here's something to think about too. Spain has been seasoning it's rice with saffron for centuries in their paellas. Couscous is really just tiny little balls of pasta so you can follow these rules too. It's not some crazy idea I just came up with. It's just another way to play while you cook and make your meals unique.

Now go forth and create...

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Mmm mm... Penne Arrabbiata with Shrimp

Nothing like a cold and gloomy work week to make you crave an easy and spicy meal. Football season is almost over. My excuse to have a weekend where beer is king will soon be put away until baseball rolls around. So I guess I must enjoy some wine to fill that void, not only on the weekends but during the week too. Well, what could I possibly cook today to make me feel warm after darting between my office to my car to my apartment. Definitely something quick and to the point. Definitely some PASTA.

After digging for some ideas, I come across the perfect answer to dinner thanks to Family Circle. Penne Arrabbiata with Shrimp. I'm pretty sure you could use any kind of pasta besides penne but the Barilla Plus Penne was on sale. By the way, If you haven't tried any of the Barilla Plus pastas, give them a whirl. It is whole wheat pasta, that still cooks in 8-10 mins, and afterwards makes you feel fuller than expected without having a weird health food taste. This has been the pasta of choice at our place for a while now and there really is no reason to go back to regular pasta.

Give it a whirl and at less than 325 calories per serving, there is no reason to mess up your diet.

Ingredients List:

• 3/4 lb shrimp (31-40 count size)

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp water

• 2 cans (14.5oz) of diced tomatoes (zesty or with green chiles for an extra kick)

• 1 can (8 oz) of tomato sauce

• 1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes

• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

• pinch of cayenne (for those thrill seekers)

• Whole Wheat Penne (amount and pasta type is up to you, full box for leftovers)

• 1 bag of Spinach, sliced

• 1/4 tsp salt and pepper

• grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat some canola (poor man's olive oil) in medium-size saucepan. Add onion; cook 5 minutes. You're shooting for clear, soft onion, not black, crisp onion. Add garlic and water; cook 2 minutes.

My girlfriend and I snacked on some french bread with seasoned olive oil. Yeah, this isn't exactly the healthiest appetizer but after a long day, we were craving something as dinner cooked. I'll touch on this little meal down the line. Ok, now back to the sauce.

2. Stir diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, red-pepper flakes, cayenne and oregano into saucepan; simmer, no lid, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.

We blended the diced tomatoes to make it more of a sauce but if you prefer it chunky, by all means give it a whirl. Threw it all in and got back to munching on some french bread.

3. Boil some water. Throw the pasta in, cook until al dente, tender but still firm. Drain the pasta.

I usually throw some olive oil and salt in to the water to do two things: Season the pasta and prevent the foamy mess you get from pasta. Like I said before, the whole wheat pasta shouldn't take much longer than regular pasta. Your goal is to cook it al dente. This means that it is soft, not mushy but firm just not uncooked. I'd throw a piece up to the ceiling, if it sticks, you're golden. Just make sure you remember to get the pasta down or else it will be permanently cemented as a decoration for the kitchen.

4. Throw the sliced spinach in to the sauce, cook 5 min. Add salt and pepper. (Always been a fan of Push it since that hilarious Sprint commercial)

Add as much as you want, we definitely didn't use the whole bag and you see what we ended up with.

5. Heat small skillet. Add 3 tbsp of sauce. Add shrimp and cook until pink.

We could have just added the shrimp to the sauce directly but we decided to use the extra sauce for leftovers. And we didn't want to freeze the sauce with shrimp in it.

6. Pour the sauce over the pasta. Add some shrimp to the plate. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. DONE.

It's such an easy pasta to cook and eat that it's going to become a staple. Or that fancy meal for a special date night. Just don't forget the wine.

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