I’m Hitting the Meat Sauce Because of You

On the occasions when I was left to my own devices, I would often travel with my classmates. On one such occasion, about seven of us decided to travel to Cannes, France . We took off by Eurorail in the early afternoon and were expected to reach our destination by around 9 p.m. that evening. Unfortunately, we did not take into account that Italy’s transportation system goes on strike on a continual basis and our train sat in the middle of a field for an additional 5 hours. We didn’t arrive in Cannes until 2 in the morning. The girls I was traveling with were tired (as was I) and they decided to sleep in the train station.

Now this brought up quite a problem for me. The last thing my parents said before I said goodbye was, “Never sleep on the beach or in a train station. It is a good way to get molested. Always stay at a hotel.” I promised to obey as they handed me an American Express card for such an emergency. I spoke with the girls and said I would pay for a hotel room if they just would get up from the station’s floor.

The ladies did not want me to have to pay so we went to find something cheap. Not knowing where we were going we ended up in a seedy part of the city at a run down hotel. The older gentleman who greeted us was wearing an old sweat stained t-shirt and was drinking wine out of a paperbag. We asked how much a room would be. He explained that it was $5 for a room without a bathroom and $8 for a room with a bathroom and breakfast. We splurged.

When we got to the room the lights were broken and a strange smell was emanating from it. Still, it was around 3 a.m. and all of us were exhausted. I put my extra pair of socks on my hands as I was afraid to touch anything and laid my head down on a foul smelling pillow.

The events that occurred that evening were quite strange. We kept hearing doors open and close and men and women speaking French. Since none of us spoke French we had no idea what they were saying.

In the morning I woke up to discover that we were staying in a room filled with mold and cockroaches. I quickly dressed and left the room as soon as possible. When my friend and I exited the room, we were shocked to discover a woman dressed in bedroom curtains sashaying down the hall. That was it for me. I paid the bill and quickly left the ‘hotel.’ Later we discovered that we had stayed in a brothel. I am sure my parents would have preferred the train station to our choice of hotels.

This leads me to a recipe in honor of my parents’ survival of my early adulthood. It is lovingly titled, “I’m Hitting the Meat Sauce Because of You.”

This is what you will need:

  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bit size pieces
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic finely chopped
  • ½ small onion finely chopped
  • 1 32 ounce can of tomato puree
  • ½ cup red wine (one you would actually drink)
  • ¼ cup of finely chopped basil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1-2 teaspoons sugar if puree is tart
  • 2 cups cream
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon,
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

In a saucepan, coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil. Fry the onion until golden. Add the tomato puree, basil and wine. Add salt and sugar to taste. Let simmer for a half an hour.

Coat a skillet with olive oil. Add the garlic and fry until golden. Add the chicken, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes. Cook thoroughly.

Before serving, whisk the cream into the tomato sauce. Add the chicken and pour over pasta.

This is really yummy. I hope you enjoy it or I’ll be hitting the sauce…meat sauce that is!