Spaghetti on Toast Anyone?

My daughter left for camp yesterday. It's her first time to be away from home (with the exception of a few sleepovers at her cousin's house). Last night, my little son and I were wondering what could she be doing, what could she be having for dinner...that sort of stuff. Just then, I thought, she must have had spaghetti on toast for breakfast. Until recently, I did not know Australians ate that. I only found out when my two older sons asked me one day if we could have that for brekky. They said they were served that before at camp. It was just noodles with tomato sauce, they described. I suppose it's the canned ones. Not very yummy, is it?

In the Philippines, it is not surprising to see people eat spaghetti any time of the day. It can be a meal or a snack and it is a staple at every children's party (along with fried chicken). I don't know if there is a McDonald's store anywhere else in the world with McSpaghetti in the menu other than in the Philippines. Orange-coloured spaghetti is very common. Why orange? Most people use banana ketchup, instead of tomato sauce. And the sauce is sweet, a far cry from how Italians make them.

I don't have a specific recipe for my own spaghetti. It usually depends on what ingredient I have on hand at the time of cooking. The one I am sharing here today has Kabana sausages. Never heard of this before I came to OZ. The kabana, I believe, gives the sauce its distinct flavour.

Simple but a sure hit, especially with the kids.

Spaghetti with Kabana


Ingredients:
750 gram pack of spaghetti noodles
1/4 cup canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 kilo lean beef mince
2 Kabana sausages (about 200g), sliced diagonally
3 cups tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
grated parmesan cheese

Procedure:
Cook spaghetti noodles according to packet instructions. Drain and set aside.

In a saucepan, saute garlic and onion in hot oil. Add beef mince. Cook, mixing constantly, until meat turns brown. Add kabana sausages and cook for about 1 minute. Add salt, pepper, sugar and tomato sauce and stir until well combined. Let boil. Add oregano and basil leaves. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until meat is cooked.

Serve spaghetti with parmesan cheese topping and garlic bread.