Captain Justin Roberts actually had the ladle for the sausage marina dipped into the serving bucket when he caught a whiff of something. It was so clear that he appreciated it was the first aroma he’d been aware of other than Kara in a fair while. It didn’t take long to locate the source.
A bacon-and-ground-sirloin tomato sauce. He breathed it in again and ignored the Ranger jostling him to get more garlic bread.
There. In a quiet corner of the steam table was a small tureen of Texas-style spaghetti sauce. Right down to the Worcestershire and chili powder. He ladled it onto his pasta, added a fistful of the sharp cheddar from the handy bowl that no one else had touched, and topped it with a sprinkling of scallions.
Then he went over and dropped his tray across from Bill and Michael.
He dug in a fork, unable to wait till he actually sat down, and the flavor exploded into his mouth. He sat and leaned in to inhale the aroma as he chewed.
“You planning to wear that or are you gonna eat it?” Sly Stowell, one of the Navy’s chief petty officers, dropped his own tray next to Justin. He drove the monstrous hovercraft parked down on the Peleliu’s amphibious deck.
“Don’t you be joking about this food none, Sly. That’s Texas spaghetti sauce on a Navy ship in the Mediterranean. I’m either dreaming or I’m gonna marry the cook.”
“Gonna have ta fight me for her, boy.” Sly held up his left hand and flashed the gold band there.
Note: This Texas-style sauce is so thick and hearty that it can be served over pasta, a baked potato, or just eaten straight from a chili bowl with a side of drop biscuits.
Serves: 8-12
Active time: 30 / Cook time: 30 minutes / Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients for the Sautés
-
- 8 oz. bacon, cooked and rough crumbled
- 1 med. sweet onion, diced
- 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/4” thick
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, fire-roasted especially good
- 14 oz. can tomato sauce
- 14 oz. can beans, rinsed (I prefer black beans, though red kidney beans are also good)
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 Tbsp. chili powder
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1 Tbsp. Siracha
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- For more heat: increase to 1 tsp. black pepper and 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper flakes
- 3 c. shredded cheese (a mix of cheddar and pepper jack is great)
- 6 scallions, sliced 1/2” long
- Pickled jalapeno slices (optional)
- Cook the bacon in a deep, heavy-bottomed pot until getting crispy. Remove from pot but leave the fat. Once cool, chop or crumble into the large bowl with The Dump ingredients.
- Brown the onions and mushrooms until onions just translucent and mushrooms are glossy but not getting limp.
- Make a hole and toss in the garlic. Sauté separately until aromatic (10-15 seconds), then mix into the onions and mushrooms. Remove from pot and add to The Dump bowl.
- Add the beef. Break up and cook until brown. (Good time to start heating the pasta water.)
- When meat is well browned, pour The Dump into the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes to blend flavors. Adjust salt to taste but be cautious with the pepper, the heat grows as it simmers.
- For greens, we’ll often throw a couple fistfuls of spinach into the pasta pot 3-4 minutes before the spaghetti is done.
 Pot o’ simmering pasta sauce. |
 Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about. There’s a whole passel o’ pasta under there somewhere. |