Not once, but twice

As for the contest, there was no winner. We'll just carry over the prize pool to the next contest. The correct answer was "bow tie pasta".

Super Duper Fantastic Big Prize Giveaway Contest!

Last night, from the carcass of the unfortunate chicken I had roasted two days prior, I made a soup that was simply delizioso. I thought it would be fun if all my loyal reader guessed what kind of pasta I put in it. Now, what's a contest without a prize? To the first person who correctly identifies the style of pasta that graced my soup, I'll send out $3.87--U.S., of course. Only one guess per e-mail address, please. Multiples will be disregarded. Send your guess to "videosbyvinny@hotmail.com" or click on my profile. You must have a PayPal account to receive your prize. You can register here for free and it's free to use (for personal use). I'll announce the winner as soon as we have one...or a lack of one, four days from the publish time of this posting--the official closing of the contest. Good luck to all three of you!

Listen to yo mama

As a card-carrying purebred Italian, I have always made my own pasta sauce from scratch. Last week, I either suffered a stroke or someone put a spell on me or something and I did a very uncharacteristic thing: I bought a jar of prepared sauce. My mom might disown me if she finds out. The relatives might stone me or shun me--ok, I'm alright with being shunned.

Let me explain. I had decided to try to reduce my grocery bill, so I started buying things that are on sale. Most of the items are things that I buy anyway--it's just that I have always bought them regardless of whether they were on sale or not. For the most part, it's been working out extremely well. Then I saw that I could pick up a jar of Ragu pasta sauce for $1, a fraction of what it costs me to make sauce from scratch--and without the work!

Long story short...it was little better than pouring ketchup on my spaghetti--yeccchhhh. Ragu puts the rag in Ragu. Even covering my bowl with a generous helping of Parmesan cheese wasn't enough to redeem the dish. Unfortunately, I am also Catholic and live by the rule that wasting food is a sin, so I had to suffer through three separate times eating the vile sauce. Mama mia!...was right again.

My Recipe: Pasta Sauce

Vinny's Pasta Sauce

Ingredients:
A few meatballs or a few pork ribs/and or a few ounces of stewing beef or a few skinless chicken thighs or substitute approximately 400 grams of lean ground beef instead of any other meat.
One 23 fl. oz. jar strained tomatoes
1/3 of a 5.5 oz. can tomato paste
1 small onion (or half of a large one)
One or two cloves garlic, depending on size and taste (not your size, the size of the clove(s) and not the taste of the garlic--your taste) ;)
3 tbsp. oil, preferably olive oil
1 tsp. chopped oregano, fresh preferably
1 tsp. chopped Italian parsley, fresh preferably
1 tsp. chopped basil, fresh preferably
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
3-4 shakes ground pepper (or to taste)

Directions:
1. If using ground beef, brown as usual, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
2. Finely dice onion and garlic and set aside.
3. Pour oil into medium-sized saucepan and set burner to medium heat.
4. Unless using ground beef, place meat in saucepan, salt lightly and stir frequently until well braised on outside.
5. Throw onion into saucepan and continuing stirring until it is about to change colour (about 2 minutes).
6. Throw in garlic and continue stirring until onion and or garlic start to caramelize.
7. Pour strained tomatoes into saucepan--save lid. Pour about 1/3 cup water into the strained tomato jar, secure lid and swish water around. Pour contents into saucepan and stir.
8. Set burner on simmer.
9. Scoop out tomato paste and stir into sauce.
10. Put all seasonings into saucepan and stir.
11. If using ground beef, place previously browned meat into saucepan and stir.
12. Simmer for at least two hours, if possible, stirring occasionally.
13. Check for saltiness/seasoning after about an hour and make appropriate adjustments.

Notes:
1. Depending on the amount of fat content in the meat, you may end up with excess oil sitting on top of the sauce. If so, slip a teaspoon in and scoop out excess.

2. Depending on how long you cook the sauce, it may become too thick due to evaporation. If so, add a little water and stir.