Pasta Night Y'all

Those of you who bother to read the headings will note the southern reference, and perhaps do a double-take. After all, I am from the south of the A country, just not the south of this country, where I believe 'y'all' to be in common parlance (based on the regular utterance thereof by a good Texan friend of mine). No, in Cornwall, where I grew up, I don't think 'y'all' is much in evidence, not that Cornwall doesn't have dialectal quirks of its own... but that is for another day.

I was surprised when I found myself buying a 'Special Collector's Edition' of 'Taste of Home', and no, it wasn't because I was sucked in by the incredibly prestigious thought of owning a 'Special Collector's Edition!' I thought you had to be born and bred south of the Mason-Dixon line and have Paula Deen on speed dial, to even consider buying Taste of Home. I kind of expected to be turned back at the cash register. I was wrong, it turns out, as Taste of Home seems to have a broader remit than just southern cooking. However, when I then opted to subscribe to the magazine, I was offered a deal on a companion subscription to 'Country Woman'. Yeah, that would be a step too far, I think.

I'm rather disappointed that I didn't overcome my misconceptions sooner, as the first dish I tried from my prestigious gold-plated Special Person's leather-bound edition was rather good.  If it is representative of the edition as a whole, then it is a good sign of great meals to come and, now that I have dispelled the southern myth I seem to have created all by myself, I don't even have to break out the poorer-than-poor impression of a Paula Deen accent each time I dig into another recipe. That's a relief all round, I'm sure.

Meaty Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
12 servings (no kidding, we have been eating this for lunch a lot lately!)

1 lb Italian sausage (pork - if you buy individual sausages, then remove casings)
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 14.5oz cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 jar (8oz) marinated quartered artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil), chopped
3 TBSP finely chopped fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

1. In a large skillet sprayed with oil, cook the beef and sausage, onion, green pepper, celery and garlic over a medium heat until the meat is no longer pink.
2. Transfer to a slow cooker and stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Cook on low for 8-10 hours (or high for 5-6). Discard bayleaf before serving over pasta (we had it with tortellini).