This is another comfort food recipe for me and one that I really enjoy as a winter warm-up dinner. The chorizo and bacon make for a very smoky sauce which I really love. The sauce can also be made ahead of time and just warmed up as the pasta cooks. Make the sauce this weekend for a welcome Monday workday dinner.
1 pound dry spaghetti pasta
Cook pasta in well salted water for 8-10 minutes.
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 cloves minced garlic
1 small minced carrot
1 stalk finely chopped celery
½ cup minced red onion
1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
4 ounces chopped hard chorizo sausage
3 cups low sodium beef broth
1 cup red wine
¼ cup tomato paste
1 tbsp dry oregano (or 3 tbsp fresh chopped oregano)
1 tsp crushed fennel seed
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt to season to taste
3 tbsp hot sauce (optional or to taste)
½ cup heavy cream (optional)
In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, add the bacon and cook slowly over medium high heat to render the bacon to crisp. Drain off the bacon fat if you prefer, then add the butter, olive oil, carrot, celery, and red onion and cook until the onions are softened. Add the ground beef and chopped chorizo sausage and continue over medium heat until the beef is well browned.
Add all the remaining ingredients except the cream and simmer for about a half hour or more over gentle low heat. If adding cream, do so in the last 5 minutes of simmering the sauce.
Serve over the cooked pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan bread crumbs if desired.
Parmesan Bread Crumbs
1 ½ cups coarse bread crumbs
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp cracked black pepper
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Toss together the bread crumbs, parmesan, olive oil and pepper. Bake on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet for about 5-10 minutes or until crunchy, tossing the crumbs occasionally as they bake.
Barry C. Parsons
Friday 9th of January 2009
You can add less stock or more tomato paste if you are in a hurry or even simmer for longer if you're not, whichever you like to make the sauce thicker. We like it a little thinner chez moi to soak up the sauce with some good bread.
Anonymous
Friday 9th of January 2009
This seems to be a whole lot of liquid for a sauce. I'd like to try, but these measurements just seem off. 4 cups of liquid??