Fettuccini alla Romana; texting?

I love pasta.

I could live on pasta.

Maybe, if all I ate was pasta, I could learn to exercise self-control / portion control so I didn’t grow out of my clothes.

Maybe I wouldn’t care.

I also love tomato sauces of all kinds.

We really should have moved to Italy, not France. Except then I would be yearning for cassoulet and fois gras.

Apparently, my mother was right…. there’s no pleasing me.

Not true. This pleased me (us) greatly.

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Fettuccini alla Romana

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This sauce takes just 45 minutes to make but tastes like it simmered for hours – instead of just the last 20 minutes. There are lots of veggies in the sauce so you can have a veggie side – or not.

• Author: Kate
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x
• Category: Pasta

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 8oz (240gr) ground beef (mince)
• 2oz (60gr) Prosciutto, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4oz (240gr) mushrooms, chopped
• 1/4 cup (2oz, 60ml) red wine
• 2 cups (15oz, 450gr) whole tomatoes, peeled, chopped, juices reserved
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1/4 cup (1oz, 30gr) Parmesan cheese, grated
• 4oz (120gr) fettuccine or other long pasta

Instructions

• Heat 1 tbs oil in large skillet.
• Add the paprika, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and sauté over medium heat for 5 – 10 minutes, until vegetables start to soften.
• Add the mushrooms, Prosciutto and sauté 5 minutes longer.
• Add the beef and sauté, breaking it up as it browns.
• Add the wine and simmer until almost cooked off, 3 – 5 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, juices, tomato paste, and herbs.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered until the sauce reduces and thickens, about 20 minutes.
• Cook pasta according to package directions.  When done, drain.
• When sauce is ready, remove bay leaves, spoon over pasta and serve, Parmesan on the side.

Notes

You could substitute Italian sausage for the ground beef.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/2 recipe
• Calories: 671
• Sugar: 19.9 g
• Sodium: 1008.8 mg
• Fat: 16.9 g
• Saturated Fat: 5.3 g
• Trans Fat: 0.1 g
• Carbohydrates: 79.3 g
• Fiber: 14.2 g
• Protein: 48.5 g
• Cholesterol: 87.8 mg

Keywords: fettuccini, alla Romana, meat sauce

I have to admit to a somewhat embarrassing habit. Or maybe it’s a guilty pleasure. Or even an effort to stay informed about the world.

We don’t have Sunday newspapers (Do they still exist in the U.S.?). I still miss the Sunday comics….

To satisfy my laziness and desire to mindlessly entertain myself, on Sunday morning I read advice columns, also known as ‘agony aunts’.

The one I was reading this morning had a question / complaint about incompatible texting. One partner wanted to be left alone during the day while the other wanted to be constantly updated.

I can’t imagine.

It seems to be a universal problem – between partners, spouses, parents and children, friends…

When I left home to go away to college / university I remember calling my parents once or twice a month, usually because I ran short of money. I was giddy with the freedom of being on my own.

When I was older and traveling for work, I didn’t call a boyfriend and report in. Where would the fun be in that?

When I was married, and traveling for work, I would call if I was gone for more than a few days…. maybe.

The constant need to be in touch and know every happening and every movement in every day would be exhausting. And to have to / want to send photos on top of that? Yikes!

Mon mari and I never got in the habit of texting. Up until recently it was more expensive to send a text message than it was to make a phone call.

So we didn’t text.

And I surely wasn’t going to call him to tell him the sun was shining.

We text now but the same way we would make a call: if it’s important at the moment. If I’m out walking by myself and it starts to rain I text him my location so he can come and rescue me. If I’m shopping and he realizes he needs something he’ll text it. In the last year we have probably sent 15 text messages – combined.

I have other things to do with my life and my mind – even if it’s just sitting in traffic peacefully listening to music. Okay, that’s not totally true…. I’d probably be listening to music while I checked my Instagram feed.

Maybe it would be different if we lived in the U.S.

Or not.