I am not a cook. In fact, as a busy bachelor, I rarely find time to make myself anything to eat at all. My cooking repertoire consists of great French Toast (and if you’re eating those, then we have come a long way in our friendship), fajitas, anything on the barbeque, and a spicy spaghetti recipe that I picked up somewhere in the journey of life. Being considered for cookbook was the last thing I expected.

Signature Tastes of Spokane brings together over 100 favorite recipes from our local kitchen and includes great recipes from chefs at Ambrosia Bistro, C.I. Shenanigans, Hay J’s Bistro, Masselow’s, Steam Plant, Twigs, and Wild Sage…then, there’s me and my spicy spaghetti.

Pick up a copy of Signature Tastes of Spokane at Aunties Bookstore or Barnes and Noble

(by Steven W. Siler and Nicole L. Manganaro)

Hope you enjoy!

• 1 (24oz) jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce – This varies for me. I’ll often use garden style when I know I’m in a hurry and won’t have the time to slice and dice a lot of ingredients.
• 1 (6oz) can of tomato paste – This will thicken up the sauce a bit
• 1(15oz) can of Hunts diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 Jalapeño pepper, diced (you may want to start with just 1/2 to see how spicy the dish is)
• 3-4 cloves of diced garlic
• 1/2 onion diced
• Fresh Oregano (add to desired taste)
• Fresh Basil (add to desired taste)
• 1lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 lb of Italian sausage (optional)
• Pasta noodles of choosing

Instructions –

In a large pan brown the ground beef and Italian sausage over medium heat stirring frequently. Add some fresh chopped oregano, fresh chopped basil, and a dash of garlic salt to taste. Drain the excess grease for a more healthy dish

In a large sauce pot add the jar of spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, diced tomatoes w/ green chilies, jalapeño, garlic, onion and spices. Bring to a slow rolling boil, then add the meat.

Boil noodles for approximately 10 minutes with a little olive oil (tablespoon), drain and serve.

Wine Pairing-

I enjoy this dish with some fresh garlic bread and a simple green salad with a balsamic dressing. Since the spaghetti and balsamic are both fairly acidic, a great wine pairing is Barbera, Primitivo, or a nice Sangiovese. Stop by Nectar Tasting Room, we’ve got some of each.

About Josh Wade

Josh is the owner of Nectar Tasting Room, a modern wine tasting space shared by five Washington wineries in downtown Spokane (120 N. Stevens). Josh also publishes Spokane Wine Magazine and has a consulting company that helps businesses navigate the waters of social media and relationship marketing. Nectar Tasting Room was recently selected by the readers of Inland Business Catalyst Magazine as the top start up of 2011. Readers also selected Josh as one of the 20 under 40 business people in Spokane.  Josh’s web site is one of the most read wine blogs in the country and was recently highlighted on MSNBC.com In his spare time, Josh is the wine consulting co-host of HFNTV’s In the Kitchen with Mike Gonzalez and also enjoys playing guitar and just hanging out with friends.