I read once that every woman should have a great piece of furniture, a classic black dress, her own money, and one dish she cooks really, really well to serve to her closest friends.
I am not a chef, far from it. Eric and Marie, you will read about what they cook as well, have skills and an understanding of ingredients and spices that I do not. But what I do have is an ability make a meal that tastes great, with little fuss. One such meal is homemade spaghetti sauce. The joy of this is you can’t fail, unless you let the sauce burn. Other than that, spaghetti sauce is something you make to taste. You add a dash of this, a pinch of that, let it simmer, taste, and tweak some more if you are so inclined.
Few things come close to making a house feel warm and cozy as the aroma of spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove for an hour or two.
For this dish I used crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, fresh Amish tomatoes diced (just look how gorgeous they are!), minced garlic, half an onion diced, oregano, basil, salt and pepper, ground Wagyu beef, a little bit of brown sugar, and red wine from Baker-Bird Winery. I let this simmer for a few hours and served over pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
What I loved about making this meal.
My husband and I went to Augusta, KY to visit a few friends and we stopped at Baker-Bird Winery. As I cooked, and sipped a bit of wine, the aroma was divine, and the memories of that nice day came to mind.
I get to use my enameled cast iron Dutch oven. It’s not the most expensive option when it comes to Dutch ovens, but it’s the best I could afford at the time. As with anything you do, always use the best ingredients and tools for the job. If you can afford it, buy it. I never regretted investing in a top rate tool be it for gardening, sewing, or cooking.
Use the good cheese. A sauce like this, full of fresh ingredients, local wine, and Wagyu beef calls for the good cheese.