Bella Notte

Arguably one of the most romantic scenes in cinema, the classic spaghetti sequence in Walt Disney's 1995 animated feature The Lady and the Tramp was almost cut from the film. Walt Disney was concerned that the scene would not give a romantic effect to the audience and that the scene of dogs eating spaghetti would instead appear puerile. The animator Frank Thomos was intransigent, however, and animated the entire scene himself without the assistance of any lay-outs. As anyone who as seen the film can attest to, the result was a charming sequence that rivals anything seen in a chick flick or romantic comedy. It has inspired countless guys taking their dates to Italian restaurants in the hope that they will share a plate a spaghetti and have similar smooching results.

For my next dish, I will be trying to make, in the words of the Italian chef in the movie, "the best spaghetti in town". I found the recipe at http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sicilian-spaghetti-sauce-10000000426907/ and it had outstanding reviews. I have to say, the spaghetti lived up to the hype.

I started by cooking a mixture of lean ground beef and Italian sausage. I think I can never go back to having spaghetti without Italian sausage. It adds a lot of extra zing to the meal.

 

 

As a warning, the sauce takes like 3 hours to make. I was a little shocked myself but I guess you really get an authentic, slow-cooked flavor. Plus, if you really want to impress that special someone, what is the harm in going all out? Just plan to be around the stove for the next couple of hours to keep an eye on the sauce. Maybe you could set the mood and pop in The Lady and The Tramp while you wait.

 

 

When the sauce was finally ready, all that is left to do is boil some noodles and enjoy the best spaghetti in town. If stray dogs start approaching your house in droves, please be generous.