Filipino Spaghetti is a good example of fusion cuisine. It is really quite tasty as long as you do not expect it to be like something you would eat in Italy.

I had out Marvin Gapultos’ “The Adobo Road Cookbook” while Amanda was visiting and she was intrigued by this recipe, so we decided to make it for lunch. It sounded rather strange – could it really be good? Hot dogs and Philippine banana sauce in spaghetti? Actually the thinly sliced and fried hot dogs were very tasty. The banana sauce gave a sweetness to the sauce. This will make 6-8 servings. I think the recipe is very kid friendly, although there is a little bit of heat from red pepper flakes which could be removed for chili sensitive eaters.

4 oz. bacon, cut into lardons

4 hot dogs, cut on a diagonal into ¼ inch slices

½ lb. ground beef

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 onion diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

2 Tbs. tomato paste

1 cup red wine

½ cup banana sauce

14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 Tbs. fish sauce

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 Tbs. brown sugar

1 lb. spaghetti

In a large pot brown the bacon. When crisp remove to a plate leaving the fat in the pan. Brown the hot dogs in the bacon fat. Remove to the plate. Pour any excess fat into a small bowl (in case you need to use any of it later), and brown the ground beef. Add the salt and pepper. (We forgot to do this. It tasted fine anyway.) Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and chili flakes and continue to cook until the vegetables are translucent. Add the tomato paste and fry for a minute. Add the red wine and cook until it is largely reduced. Add the banana sauce, diced tomatoes, fish sauce, oregano, and brown sugar. Stir well, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook about 20 minutes, stirring often. Towards the end of the cooking add the reserved bacon and hot dogs and stir in.

Cook the spaghetti, reserving a cup of pasta water in case needed to thin the sauce.

Drain the spaghetti and put it in a large bowl. Add the sauce to the bowl and stir vigorously to combine. Add some of the reserved pasta water if the sauce seems too thick. Serve, being careful to apportion the hot dog slices evenly.