Spaghetti

I'm 59 and I've been making spaghetti sauce since I was a teenager. I just found a new way. As usual I sweated a diced onion, 3 cloves garlic and a carrot. Then browned the ground beef and mild Italian sausage.  At this point I would add a can of tomato sauce, costing more than $2. Instead I added a can of tomato paste, costing less than $1. I've tried that before but I added water and chicken stock. I make great chicken stock, but it doesn't make good tomato sauce. (a classic case of 'You can't get there from here.') Water alone just makes it anaemic so I tried beef stock. 

I had opened a litre the other day so the cost was spreading out. About a cup of stock and about a cup of water. I'm trying Campbell's new no salt added stock and I like it. I was buying the expensive brand because it had a lot less salt. Thank You Campbell's. This turned out a really great tomato sauce. Fern said it was good, he never guessed there wasn't tomato sauce in it. So it was a success. If I can spread the cost of the beef stock across several meals then it's cost conscious too.

This sauce also has a can of Aylmer Tomato Soup. It has a unique flavour that cannot be substituted. Any other brand will taste terrible. Aylmer or nothing. Once the sauce was cooking again I added the green peppers and sliced mushrooms. They would have benefited from sweating but I was in a hurry so they went in now, like I used to do before I learned what good food tastes like.

Served with fresh grated parmesan on top and a salad.

Vinaigrette

1 tbsp olive oil 

1-2 tsp white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

mixed pepper

dot of Dijon mustard

This was as good as usual or maybe even better.