Meaty Tomato Sauce

Preparing food has always been a passion of mine. The purpose of this blog is to provide a way for people, especially college students, to create their own culinary masterpieces. I will write about recipes that my friends and I enjoy to help others create their own culinary works of art.

I am going to start with the basic tomato sauce. This sauce is versatile and can be combined with all kinds of pasta for a simple and tasty meal.

The Ingredients
2 lbs of ground turkey
2 large yellow onions
6-7 garlic cloves
2 - 28oz canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup basil
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon oregano
olive oil
salt
pepper

The Method
I like to get all of my ingredients ready, or as the French call it, Mise en Place. This makes the cooking process flow smoothly and it also allows you to make sure you have all the ingredients. I start by cutting the onions in half, then peel them. Make longitudinal cuts along the onion and then turn it 90 degrees and cut a fine dice. Next, take the garlic cloves and place them on the cutting board, lay the knife on top (with the blade facing you, or this could be the last meal you cook) and smash the garlic with your fist. This should loosen the cloves from their skins. Mince the garlic finely. Next, wash and pick off the leaves of the basil. Lay the leaves on top of each other and roll them up like a cigar. Slice the basil in think ribbons. (Cutting the basil too much will render a blackish-green mess...not so great).

Now that all the prep is done, heat up a large pan on medium high heat and put about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the pan. Put the ground meat in and add about a teaspoon or salt and a few cranks of pepper. When the meat is done (about 5 minutes), put the meat in a bowl and set aside.

Put another tablespoon of oil in and put in the chili flakes. Stir around for about 30 seconds and put the onions in with about teaspoon of salt. Sweat the onions until translucent, then add the oregano and garlic. Cook for another minute.

Add the ground turkey back as well as the crushed tomatoes in the pan. Once the sauce starts to bubble, taste the sauce and add salt and pepper accordingly. Lastly, add the basil and turn off the heat. This prevents the basil from overcooking and leaves the sauce with a fresh taste.

My favorite way to enjoy this simple yet hearty sauce is spooned over gemelli pasta with a sprinkle of Romano cheese. Other options include the makings of a great lasagna, or baked ziti.