Navy-Style Pasta with a Georgian Twist

Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic.

In a Dutch oven or high-sided sauté pan with a lid, combine the olive oil and butter, and warm through. Add the onion and garlic, season with a pinch of sugar and salt, and sauté over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until softened.

If you are omitting the onion, heat the oil, add the garlic, let it sizzle for 20-30 seconds until fragrant, and immediately add the ground meat.

Add the ground meat, turn up the heat, and cook everything together for about 5 minutes, constantly breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Stir in the khmeli-suneli, adjika if using, black pepper, and tomato paste.

Cook the paste, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.

Add the pasta to the pan and cook, stirring continuously, for about 1-2 minutes so it gets well-coated in the sauce.

Lower the heat to just below medium, pour in boiling water, season with salt to taste, cover with a lid, and simmer everything together until the pasta reaches al dente, following the cooking time on the pasta package plus an extra 2-3 minutes.

Keep in mind that depending on the shape of the pasta and the intensity of the simmer, you might need a bit more time.

Stir the pasta roughly every 5 minutes and make sure it doesn't start sticking to the bottom. If needed, splash in a little more boiling water and extend the cooking time.