AMORÉ

homemade sauce is the star of the show.
always.
if you got a powerful sauce, everything else falls in place.
jar sauce is not invited, and that's a fact, because homemade tastes better,
and really,
if you make enough, you'll have sauce for days,
and for more meals, and it'll only get better and better.
check the teleport:

LINGUINE!
my pasta was al dente, because that's the right way to have it.
the wheatless meatless balls were perfect,
because i'm devoted to making gluten-free vegan alternatives to those dead bodies
some folks think are not horrifying to eat.
i make the nicey-nice stuff, because i care, man.
that's no joke.
and with fresh basil and arugula?
neighbors, c'mon.
that's love.
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the meatless wheatless ball recipe is HERE.
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the sauce however was created as follows:
in a 2 quart saucepot, with a tablespoon of olive oil, fry up:
2 cups baby grape tomatoes, allowed to blacken and burst;
next, toss in:
1/2 sweet onion, minced;
2 cloves crushed garlic;
1/2 tsp ea. GPOP;
1 T nootch;
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes;
oregano, basil, sage, black pepper, pink salt.
soften the onion and gently brown the garlic,
and toss in 2 T tomato paste.
stir all that up, and cook the paste for a minute,
then deglaze the pan with 1 T tamari, and 1 T red wine vinegar.
add 1 cup pureed chunky fire roasted tomatoes,
and 1 T fire roasted tomato flakes.
stir it up,
and add 1.2 cup warm water-
simmer that pot of hottness for as long as you can, with a wooden spoon still IN it.
it'll bubble, it'll thicken,
it'll darken,
and it'll be molto molto expert.
that's true.
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it's NOT the fanciest meal, but it's among the most satisfying, for sure.
i needed the comfort, and the heartiness of a massive plate of home cookin'.
and when i say home, i mean new haven,
and all that magical nostalgia that a hot pot of sauce conjures came with it.
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arugula is fantastic. fresh, bright, and bitter.
...just like me.
ha!
and whenever i can add fresh basil to boost up the profile of my dinner?
i'm gonna.
it's too good not to,
and besides,
MORE sprankles is never a bad idea.
*
i'm not sure that i can catch up.
i am running behind on everything,
and i'm feeling the push and the press and stress of time ticking away.
i'm not wasting time,
but damn, dudes, i'm feeling wasted.
like, worn out and worn thin and worn down.....
yeah.
i need a day, or two, to regroup, but who the heck knows when that's gonna happen...
meanwhile,
today is the day,
the first and the last and the worst,
and the romantic day of st. valentine's, too.
...which also had it's own massacre, if my recollection serves.
that's feels about right;
never quiet, never soft.....