SRC - Childhood Memory Dish

The summer is passing by much too quickly, for me.  It is hard to believe, it is time for another posting for the SRC.  You do know what the SRC is?  In case, you missed what has been going on around you on Mondays, this is a group of foodie bloggers who are assigned bloggers to cook from and to reveal on their assigned Monday.  Each Monday, a different group reveals the fruits of their labors of love.

A genius is our Amanda who created this group.  Even, she could not have known how this was going to take off and become part of all of our lives.  Thanks again, Amanda.  Jane is the leader of my group and I will vouch for the hard work she puts in and the nonsense she ends up taking, at least from me.  You can find our wonderful Jane at the Heritage Cook.  Please do visit all the gals who work so hard to make the SRC a reality.  There are many others and you will find them listed at SRC.

 Each month, I describe a fantastic blog that was my blessing for the particular month.  I started to question myself as to how I could get so many terrific blogs with a plethora of possibilities to emulate.  Wasn't I the lucky one?  Then, I realized, in my travels, most food blogs are interesting, filled with delicious recipes and tips and colorful.  Most food blogs are terrific.

This is not to take away from the blogs I have cooked from.  I have delved into them so I know on a more personal level that they deserve the accolades, given to them.  Once again, I got a blog, I could go on for hours, if not days.

Isabelle lives in Canada and spends her evenings "messing up her kitchen" in order to keep us entertained and well-fed.  Look at her page of recipes with some of the most intriguing ingredients in the title.  How does one select something to cook from this potpourri of deliciousness?

Isabelle is a meat eater and very much enjoys this.  I eat little meat.  Where better to get a meat recipe from than someone who loves the stuff?  Here are a listing of her beef courses and guess what I picked.

Black and Blue Flank Steak Salad
Braisesd Beef Shanks (Faux-So Bucco)
Coffee-Braised Bison Stew
Coffee-Braised Pot Roast
Korean Style Steak
Mom's Pot Roast with Beer and Onions
Smoked Brisket Burgers with Spicy Onion Jam
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

The one that called my name was the Smoked Brisket Burgers with Spicy Onion Jam but we had just had burgers.  Each of these appeals to me which is strange since I do not usually have any desire to eat similar recipesy.  I did, looking at these.  I picked an old time favorite, despite the wonderful choices, Spaghetti with Meat Sauce.

When I used to make this dish, I did a minimal job, browning the meat and onions, using a bottle of Marinara sauce and boiling up the pasta.  It tasted fine but it did not compare to this sauce which is not difficult and went quickly.  What a difference.  I even did what Isabelle does and ate the leftover meat plain and enjoyed every bite.

This dish is her Mom's and she mentioned the memories involved with it.  I, too remember my Mom making a similar dish and it was hearty and filling and is also a good memory.

I want to add that Isabelle has a wonderful sense of humor and I want to visit her again to simply enjoy what she writes.  The recipes are a given.

OK, here is Mom's Spaghetti Sauce adapted This is half of a recipe.

Ingredients"

1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup dry red wine
1 can 15 ounce pureed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
a few drops of hot pepper sauce

Method:
Heat a large skillet and add ground beef and cook for 10 minutes, breaking up into small chunks with a wooden spoon as it cooks, until browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ground beef to a bowl and set aside.

Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic to the pot, and saute for 10 minutes or until onion is soft and translucent. Return ground beef to the pot.

Stir in the remaining ingredients, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes

Ladle sauce onto cooked spaghetti and serve.

The changes I made were to turn this into a kosher recipe, no bacon and no cheese with meat.