On Tomato Sauce, the Reckoning of Time, and Abstract Games

One of the things that I am most proud of from by upbringing is my (albeit limited) ability to cook.  An oft repeated item on lists of "Essential Man Skills"is the ability to cook something well, even if (or especially if) your significant other is responsible for most of the meal prep.

I have been making scratch-made tomato sauce since I was old enough to safely reach the stovetop.  True to my teaching, I never really measure anything during the process.  This has a number of advantages and disadvantages.  While it does make for a more relaxed cooking experience, not being tied to a specific recipe, it has the disadvantage of a somewhat inconsistent product.  In general, what I produce has never been what I would call bad.  It also means that replicating some of the fantastic results irritatingly difficult.

Here is the basic procedure that I follow:

1. If meat (preferably Italian sausage) is to be put into the sauce, brown first.
2. Set meat aside, drain most off the fat. 
• Given the leaner nature of meat these days I have found draining to be unnecessary.
• My wife sometimes disagrees with this assertion.
3. Saute 1 finely diced onion until soft
4. Mince enough fresh garlic to kill off the local vampires.  Add to the pan and cook just long enough for the whole room to smell.  Take great care not to burn.
5. Add tomato paste to the pan and brown for a few minutes
• This is a trick I picked up from random cooking show on left.  It does make a big difference.
6. Deglaze the pan with red wine, if available.
• Do not skimp on this.  Little is good, more is better.
• Any red wine will do, as long as it is drinkable.  My recollection is that best results come from a Burgundy or Chianti. 
7. Add tomatoes.  If you are really ambitious use peeled, seeded, finely diced, fresh tomatoes.  I am rarely THAT motivated.  Quality canned diced tomatoes will do.  Let these simmer for a while.
8. Re-add the meat.  This is important to do before final seasoning especially if you are using italian sausage.  I also like to add fresh sliced mushrooms at this stage if available.
9. Season to taste.  This is where my real inconsistency is.  I always throw in some salt, pepper, basil, parsley, oregano, rosemary, and maybe some others depending on what I have on hand and what the sauce seems to need.
• Sometimes I find that a sauce just needs more tomato flavor.  The best fix for this is a Knorr product, Tomato Bouillon cubes.  This is miracle stuff.  Works great for chili too.
10. Simmer for at least 20-30 minutes, longer is usually better.  Add water from the pasta pot if it gets too thick.

When there are leftovers, do not under any circumstances let them go to waste.  It will always be even better the next day.

As I was packing up the dinner leftovers last night, I was initially looking forward to making the rest of the office smell my tasty yum-yums as I wolf them down with glee.  Then I remembered that I am on vacation and I don't have to go to work.  The following thought was the realization that I was not even sure what day it was.  I find it somewhat amusing that, despite the pervasiveness of technology around me (multiple computers, tablets, smartphones, smart watch), my conscious brain still primarily relies on my daily routine for its reckoning or time.  This gives me a certain amount of hope that, were modern technology to suddenly vanish, humans would in general be able to adapt and survive.

When it came to moving games half way around the world, I made a conscious decision to bring a fair number of two player games as I knew that the primary players would be my wife and I.  Many of the two player games on the market are in that interesting category called Abstract Games.  There is no real theme to the game, just pure strategy and mechanics.  Game for the sake of the play and nothing else.  The most classic examples in this category are of course Chess, Go, Backgammon, etc. I have to admit that these are generally not among my wife's favorite games.  She claims not to be able to strategize well enough to be able to compete with me in these games.  I usually counter that it is simply a matter of practice, and then sometimes remind her of the 2-3 abstract games that she does routinely beat me.  I also remind her that despite my apparent skill, I am also a terrible chess player (lack of practice, mostly), so it all depends on the game.

The game we attacked last night is one of my favorite abstracts, Terrace.  It is rather difficult to find as it has been out of print for quite some time, copies do show up periodically at thrift stores.  This is one of my favorite abstracts for a number of reasons.  First, Terrace will play either two or four players just as easily.  Second, it is simple to teach to new players.  Third, it has multiple formats.  There is a short format that plays in under 20 minutes.  There is also a long play format that can take over an hour to complete.  Fourth, it made an appearance on Star Trek: TNG. (Terrace is one of two that I own that have that distinction.)

My wife and I played two rounds last night.  Both played very quick.  During the first, I could tell that she was trying to get a feel for the mechanics again.  The second game was a much closer and I almost lost.  Given a few more games, I suspect that my wife would have won at least one, at least in the short format of the game.

Enough of that for today.  I need to go finish Christmas shopping for the wife.