The reason I am even here in front of this computer is that I love to cook, I love to talk about cooking and best of all I love to talk about cooking while cooking! But there is no denying that being the person who MUST cook can sometimes take some of the joy away. Most of us would have to admit that there are those days when the body is both tired and hungry and the thoughts of even having to chop an onion makes you want to burst into tears (sorry). For those days an old standby is needed, something you can make without having to think and with very little effort involved.
Usually this would be a mid-week kind of thing, but for me weekends are my busiest time (someone's got to bake those treats), so this is what I cook those weekends when I'm trying desperately not to resort to fast-food (again) and want to give my little one something half decent to eat.I have cooked this so many times now and it never fails to satisfy both adults and kids alike. Use their favourite pasta shape and hopefully they won't notice the green bits. It is easy to scale up for a crowd so you can offer to cook for people without feeling like lynching them when they turn up, actually expecting to be fed.
A couple of tins if tomatoes, some peppery rocket and crumbly, tangy feta make this a meal to be proud of, you might even be able to squeeze in the hoovering beforehand.
PASTA WITH FETA & ROCKET
- 1 400g tin of tomatoes
- 2 tbls olive oil
- 250g of pasta (fusilli or penne maybe)
- 100g feta
- couple of handfuls of rocket
- 1 or 2 cloves of garlic
- salt & pepper
- Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the whole clove/cloves of garlic (no onion!) and add the tin of tomatoes as soon as you can smell the garlic. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer, leaving it to blip away until the oil and the tomatoes merge into a fairly thick sauce. Season, being lighthanded with the salt as the feta is salty.Have a taste and if you think it's a little bitter add a pinch of sugar.
- Meanwhile cook the pasta in plenty of boiling water according to the packet instructions until al dente. When the sauce and pasta are ready add the sauce to the pasta, then roughly chop the rocket and add this too.
- Transfer to warmed plates and crumble over as much feta as you like and maybe a little more rocket. Serve this with a crisp green salad and crusty bread and I'll forgive you for forgetting you cooked in the first place.
Serves 2 (multiply as you see fit)
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