Healthier Spaghetti- Sideways, for Some Reason

In my Ten Dollar Dinner post, I shared a recipe for a tomato-based sauce that I think is just delicious. Unfortunately, it's also full of oil and butter. Come to think of it, there may be a connection... Anyway, here is the sauce I made tonight. I usually make a simpler sauce, but the vegetables add texture and vitamins. Thanks to this wonderfully warm October, I still had some fresh herbs kicking around on the terrace, but dried will do when the weather finally turns crappy.

1 carrot, minced

1 stalk celery, minced

1/2 white onion,minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. olive oil

750 ml tomato passata, sodium free, if possible (Pomi is a good brand)

Red pepper flakes to taste

1/2 tsp. black Pepper

1/2 tsp. fennel seeds

Chopped fresh herbs- basil, oregano, Italian parsley

tiny splash honey

Heat oil in a saucepan, and saute the vegetables and garlic until soft. Add everything but the fresh herbs, and cook 15 minutes. Right before serving, add most of the fresh herbs. Serve on top of cooked whole wheat spaghetti, and sprinkle with remaining herbs and freshly grated parmesan.

Vogue Meat Loaf

I was craving comfort food recently, so I whipped out my old, food-stained collection of recipes and made something I haven’t had in years- Vogue Meat Loaf.

As the name implies, I got this recipe out of a Vogue magazine in the early 90s, but it originated at a restaurant in Los Angeles called 72 Market St. (Fun fact: by the late 90s, I was a publicist for the company that published the 72 Market St Cookbook, which did contain a version of this recipe. Never got to eat there, though.)

It’s some work, but it’s worth it. You get 8 cute little loaves, moist, and full of vegetables. Make some mashed potatoes, steam some broccoli (oops, didn’t do that part this time) and you have a delicious meal that plates well and leaves plenty of leftovers. Meat loaf sandwiches… how very Vogue…

¾ c. minced white onion 1 tsp. salt

¾ c. minced green onion ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

½ c. minced celery 1 tsp. black pepper

½ c. minced carrot ½ tsp. white pepper

¼ c. minced green pepper ½ tsp. cumin

½ c. minced red pepper ½ tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. minced garlic ½ c. half and half (or evaporated milk)

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter ½ c. ketchup

1½ lbs lean ground beef

½ lb. lean ground pork

3 eggs, beaten

¾ c. dry toasted bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350°

Sauté vegetables and garlic in butter until softened. Cool to room temperature. Combine spices, and stir into cooled veggies. Add cream, ketchup, and everything else. Lightly form into 8 loaves on a foil-lined cookie sheet (with sides). Bake 40-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, make gravy (though I have to say, I have never made this gravy!)

1 Tablespoon minced shallot

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

pinch thyme

1 bay leaf

pinch black pepper

1 c. dry white wine

1 c. each chicken and beef stock

Sauté shallot in 1T butter until soft, with thyme, bay leaf, and pepper. Add wine. Cook over high heat until reduced to a glaze. Add the stocks, and boil to reduce by half, then swirl in remaining butter. (You can use this to deglaze the meatloaf pan, but I prefer the easy clean up of using foil, but it’s an option.)

Let the loaves sit for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.