Lamb Pasta Sauce

When I first discovered Food Network Canada, I became a huge fan of Nigella Lawson. Watching her stir and bake was soothing, and the food looked so delicious. I haven't managed to snag my own copy of her books, but I've been able to sign them out from the library and try her recipes.

Yummy!

This one in particular is one of my favorites. It's nothing special, really, just a meaty pasta sauce. But on a cold, damp day when one feels like a bowl of pasta smothered in meaty sauce, topped with crumbled salty feta, and a crunchy piece of buttery garlic bread, it's the best.

Adapted from Forever Summer, by Nigella Lawson

1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
150 g button mushrooms, chopped
2 Tbsp oregano
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 pound of ground lamb
1 cup red wine (I used Painted Turtle Merlot)
28 oz can of tomatoes
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

In a large, deep saucepan, saute the onions, garlic, and mushrooms until soft. Add 1 Tbsp of the oregano and and continue cooking for about 1 minute. Remove the veggies from the pan. Add a little more oil and begin sauteing your lamb.

The reason I get you to remove the veggies is that lamb is fairly fatty, and I found that as that oil began seeping out into the pan, the veggies were right there ready to soak it all up. In an effort to keep the calories down a bit, I removed the veggies and drained the fat off as I cooked the lamb. When the lamb is no longer pink, add the veggies back in, along with the tomatoes, remaining oregano, wine, sugar, and tomato paste. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring it to a boil, but then turn the heat down to low and cook, uncovered, for about an hour to an hour and a half until it's very thick.

I don't like my sauces watery, so I do tend to add more tomato paste in at the end to thicken it up. You can decide how runny/thick you like your sauce, but to make this sauce really good, you should let it simmer for 30 minutes at the very least. I usually cook it for the full hour and 1/2.

Serves 4