Creativity, Simplified

There are so many divine food purveyors in the Bay Area.
For those days when I just can't be bothered to whip up something wonderful, but I still want to eat something wonderful, I have learned to use the fast food of local artisans.
Yeah!
Chris Cosentino and Mark Santore Pastore (I got it wrong) are providing spaghetti sauce in a jar. They'd never call it that. It's ragu. And it's made from the pointy tip ends of salami, the parts that can't be sliced. These seasoned little meat nuggets get ground up and blended with tomatoes and who knows what else. It's thick, so at home you thin the sauce with a little pasta water or whatever. Making a sort of expensive purchase ($12) go a long way. We got three meals each for the two of us.
However (and sorry, Chris and Mark), I'm now thinking of making my own ragu from a similar formulation and freezing it in packets for emergency suppers. Might even use Boccalone sausage (of course I will!). I could flavor it differently each time, as the mood strikes. Extra tomato. Garlic. Hot chiles. Fun.
Today we flavored ours with mushrooms, and if you think mushrooms are a tired old pasta cliche, think again. Really good to eat.
So, I'm actually excited about this. It's comfort food, made in a most comforting fashion.

NEWSFLASH: We cooked the pasta in water, duh, with a sprig of fresh bay leaves. We had never before cooked pasta with bay leaves in the water. It was so smart. So proper. It's an "always," now.