Car Cravings and Creating Carbs

I was driving in my minty van the other week and got hungry.  It wasn’t the run of the mill hungries but it was the kind of hungry that makes you look at everything and want to stop.  I saw a burger place and slowed down and then sped up as I got to the entrance.  Nope, that isn’t want I want.  I saw a taco stand and almost pulled a muscle in my neck watching it as I drove by.  I even contemplated running into a gas station for whatever they may have rotating endlessly under an orange lamp.

This happened for what seemed like hours but in actuality it was only a few blocks in a small town.  I was so hungry that nothing sounded good enough. 

I searched around under my front seat for my car chips.  You know that bag your strategically hide so your husband doesn’t eat them all when you aren’t around.  (Truth be told, I really hide them from myself because I sleep walk and I’ve been known to eat an entire bag of chips in the middle of the night.)

Finally, I saw a food stand that I had never noticed before with a sign for Italian sausage sandwiches. It was like the heavens parted and my dreams were coming true.  (Besides my dogs meeting me in heaven, I’m going to make the assumption there is a full buffet with all my favorite foods.)  The only thing is how do you eat an Italian sausage while you are out.  It isn’t actually “car food” and it wasn’t a place I would feel comfortable dining at during a pandemic.  (I’m not sure what it says for my state of hunger that I would chose to dine on their food but not eat in their establishment.)

I looked toward my passenger side of the car and saw a roll of paper towels I had left in the car the other day when I was washing the windows.  It was another sign in my mind that I needed to get the Italian sausage.  I could make a towel bib and eat this baby in the car!

The drive thru was filled with work guys in pick-up trucks.  Each order before me seemed to last an eternity but I knew this is what I had to do.   I pulled up and ordered one sandwich and said that was all I needed.  They asked if wanted red sauce to which I responded “Oh, yes, please, yes.”  I pulled to the window, joyfully handed over my money and was presented this gigantic silver bullet.  It was a hefty sandwich and I knew it was something I had to pull over the car to enjoy. 

I unwrapped it and it was a glorious mess.  You could see a big fat sausage resting in a perfectly sized bun with loads of peppers and red sauce covering every inch.  I devoured it in a way that made me feel like I was doing something wrong but I was at the point of no return.  

Since that day, I have thought about that sandwich.  I’m not exactly sure if this is a healthy obsession or not.  I’ve had days where I have considered driving back to that spot to see if this place really existed or maybe it was a hallucination brought on by hunger.  I’ve resisted because it wasn’t exactly close to my house and part of me doesn’t want the fantasy to end.

I keep telling myself that I make an awesome Italian sausage but the problem is that I haven’t had the best of luck finding all the ingredients in our pandemic world.  One day I will shop with the intention of buying it all and there won’t be good sausage links available.  Another day the bread will look like it got squished underneath an elephant’s behind.  I’ve even had days where I can’t find a decent pepper.  

The other day I broke down and bought ground Italian sausage because that was all I could find.  My thought was I can make a hearty sauce filled with that amazing fennel flavor of Italian sausage, rich tangy tomato sauce and sweetness of fresh peppers.  Toss it on some fresh hot pasta and I may be able to recreate the satisfaction of eating an Italian sausage sandwich.  

Well I’ve got to tell you…it was pretty darn good.  (I still like a sandwich but this is a great add to the fall menu board.)  I browned up the sausage with lots of peppers, celery, onion and some carrots.  I added in two types of canned tomatoes…crushed and a smoother passata sauce.  Tons of garlic for good health and it was ready to don some pasta. It brought me some of the joy I had back in the minty van but also gave me a nice warm full belly.  

The moral of the story is go out on errands hungry because you never know where you will find your next inspiration for cooking at home! (Yep, let’s go with that!)

Italian Sausage Pasta (Print out recipe below.)

Ingredients

1 pound ground Italian sausage (I used sweet but I do think a mix of hot and sweet would be awesome)

1 yellow onion

2 carrots

2 stalks of celery

3 peppers (I used red/yellow because I’m not a fan of green but if you like green ones…go for it!)

3 cloves garlic

1 28-ounce jar of Passata

1 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 heaping teaspoon of your favorite Italian seasoning mix

Salt/Pepper/sugar

1 pound spaghetti (normally I’m all about angel hair but go for a thicker noodle because this sauce is hearty)

Parmesan cheese/fresh parsley garnish

Olive oil

Directions

In a large Dutch oven over medium low heat with a swirl of olive, crumble the Italian sausage and gently fry.  This is one time your goal is not to get a char or brown on the meat.  Sauté and break up chunks as you go.  Cook until just done and turning opaquer than the original “pink” color.

While meat is cooking, add the onion, carrots, celery, peppers and garlic to food processor. You want to pulse it a few times until it is in small chunks but not pureed.  (If you don’t have a food processor, just finely chop it all up.)

Add to pan with the meat and an extra swirl of olive oil.   Just let it cook at medium low, stirring every 5 minutes or so.  THIS is where a little browning and caramelization is the goal.  (It is also a good time to give a little sprinkle of salt and pepper to season the veggies.)  

It is okay if the veggies get “absorbed” into the meat and almost look like they dissolve.  This is all about making a foundation of flavor. 

Add the tomatoes, passata and Italian seasoning.  Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently.   Make sure you DON’T burn your sauce on the bottom. You may need to lower your heat. Your goal is a thick, rich sauce. (I added in some fresh parsley too before I served it.)

Taste.  If your tomatoes were REALLY acidic, add a sprinkle of sugar and cook a few more minutes.  

Make your pasta per package directions and ladle on the sauce!  Garnish with parsley and parm.  (I also like a lot of extra ground pepper.)   I do not recommend trying to eat this while driving….stick to Italian sausage sandwiches!