Quick Tomato Sauce
I’m obsessed with trying new ways to put together an amazing dinner that takes under an hour, and I was recently inspired by a Seattle restaurant, by acclaimed chef Ethan Stowell, Tavoláta. There are two locations, and we’ve been to both (shoutout to our friend, James, for taking us there).
Last week, after the Nirvana exhibit opening party at MoPOP (how very Seattle of us), we wandered into the night in search of dinner, and found ourselves in Belltown. Belltown is one of my favorite Seattle neighborhoods; you can find food from every corner of the world, the bars all have great cocktails, and if you’re just looking for a dive-bar to grab a can of Rainier, you can do that, too.
I’ve been having serious issues with gluten for the past two months or so, and I’ve been trying to cut it out of my diet. The weird part, though, is that when I eat pasta made from imported Italian flour, I don’t get sick. Wake up call, America - you’re fucking poisoning us with your garbage food. Knowing that the pasta at Tavoláta is made daily, I wanted to see if they also import it, because I’d remembered a dish our friend ordered the last time we were there, and I needed it in my life.
I quickly became "that girl" at the bar when I asked if their flour for the pasta was imported from Italy (it is). I ordered their Pappardelle with a beef and pork ragu, made with mint, tomato, chili, orange, and grana padano. All the things I love. This sauce is bonkers—it’s so delicious and layered with flavor; I couldn’t stop eating it. If I could eat gluten, I would have wiped the plate clean with a slice of bread. Is orange zest a thing in pasta sauce from a region of Italy that I’ve been completely unaware of?! It tasted so southern Italian, but I’ve never heard of doing that. Of course, I went home and tried making it a couple of days later, using the Instant Pot to decrease the time, and I altered a few parts of it, too.
Here’s my recipe—I hope you love it!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 2 shallots
- 5 cloves garlic
- 4-5 sprigs of fresh oregano
- 1 1/2 cups red wine
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 large can of chopped tomatoes (28 oz.)
- olive oil
- salt and pepper (I use both red and black)
- The zest of 1 orange
- 1/2 cup water (if making this in the instant pot)
Directions:
Chop the shallots and garlic (I like leaving the garlic in nice-sized chunks—it’ll cook down and be soft when pressurized). Take the leaves of oregano from the stems and give those a rough chop. Zest the orange.
Add olive oil (about a tablespoon) to the instant pot and hit the sauté button. When hot, add the beef and pork with a health pinch of salt and red pepper flakes. Break up the meat into smallish pieces, and cook until it starts to brown. You want to make sure all the water and oil evaporates from the meat before moving on.
Make a hole in the center of the meat, and add the chopped shallots, a pinch of salt, and a little more olive oil. Move the shallots around in the middle until they start to sweat, and then incorporate everything together. When the shallots are translucent, about 5-7 minutes, add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the tomato paste, and stir to combine, cooking about two minutes until the paste is really sticking to the bottom.
Deglaze the pan by adding the wine, scraping all the yumminess off the bottom of the pan, and cook until the wine is reduced by half.
Add the chopped oregano, the can of tomatoes, and the orange zest. Stir everything together, and add another pinch of salt with some cracked black pepper. Add 1/2 cup of water.
Seal the instant pot and pressure cook on high for 15 minutes with quick release. This is the time to cook whatever you’re going to serve with this.
The first time I made it was with a creamy polenta that I cooked with a combination of vegetable stock and nutpods. The nutpods will make the polenta creamy without the addition of dairy. The second time I made it, I cooked fettuccine from this great dry pasta we get that’s imported and never makes me sick. We also put a healthy serving of grana padano cheese over the top, because it’s delicious, and I refuse to stop eating it.
When the instant pot is done, take the lid off and stir everything together, giving it a final taste in case you need a little more salt or pepper.
So good, and the whole dinner is ready in under an hour. Enjoy!
PS—If you don’t have an instant pot, follow all the directions using a sauce pan on your stove. Sauté the ingredients just like I say above, but when we’re ready to pressure cook, just bring the sauce up to a boil, then reduce to simmer, and cook with the cover on for 45 minute to an hour. Don’t forget to omit the water - it’s not needed.
PPS—a few months ago we were at Bar Melusine in Capitol Hill sampling cocktails with their amazing bartender, Jermaine. He made something with an artichoke liquor called Cynar, which we immediately purchased, excited to drink it at home. Upon tasting it by itself, we were totally grossed out. Clearly, Jermaine combined the Cynar with other amazing things and his magical abilities as a mixologist, and we’ll have to head back there and pick his brain.
We happened to notice a bottle of this liquor at Tavoláta last weekend, and asked the bartender about how to make it taste amazing, and he shared this recipe that I’m now obsessed with. It’s delicious, and super easy to make - hope you like it!
Ingredients/Directions:
1 1/2 oz. rye whiskey
1/2 oz. cynar
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1/4-1/2 oz. simple syrup
A few shakes of bitters
Shake with ice, and serve up with a lemon peel.
