i are what i eat: a food blog

11th January 2010

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Date Night Over Some Italian(esque) Eats

I’m not a bitter chinese fella, but to be fair, we invented the noodle.  And for that, I would like: 1) some credit where credit is due (you hear me, Mario Batali?); 2) show my appreciation for the italian cuisine that bears the starchy fruit of my people.  This particular evening’s menu for date night with my beautiful Samantha was a simple, filling, and tasty one: linguine with meat sauce, garlic toast, and cesar salad.

Sometimes, less is more.  And why over complicate an easy meat sauce if you don’t need to?  I started off by sauteing some chopped onions and garlic in olive oil, and tossed in ground beef to brown.  After draining the cooked off fat, I returned to the heat, and added two jars of organic basil and garlic sauce I picked up from Garden of Eden.  Bringing to a boil and turning down the heat to a simmer, I added some additional oregano and parsley to taste.

Meanwhile, I cut up a baguette from Balthazar Bakery into small slices.  I spooned chopped garlic and cilantro onto the pieces, drizzling them with olive oil.  On top, I shredded some mozzarella cheese and drizzled some parmesan cheese.  Into the oven for about 10 minutes had the cheese nice and melty, with a crisp bite to the bread.  These small toasts were perfect for dipping into the sauce.

Sure, linguine isn’t traditionally a meat sauce noodle.  But I do like the thickness and texture of it, and when fork-twirled still offered a good meat to noodle ratio.  I remember my grandma serving meatsauce this way, and who knows better than her?  Besides, being a ethnic descendant of the pasta creators, I feel I can experiment.

Tagged: dinnerhomemadelinguinemeatsaucegarlictoast