im in ur kitchen, makin pasta

[billyskank]

I don't just do Indian stuff. Check it out!

I love pasta, 'cause it's so easy and quick to make something that tastes awesome. All you need is:

1 can chopped tomato
Tomato puree
Fennel Seeds
Vegetable oil
Olives (green or black)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Brown sugar
Pasta plus whatever else you want.

I started by frying the fennel seeds. I think the fennel seeds almost make it to the status of 'secret ingredient' - or they would, if I hadn't told you.

You only need the tiniest amount of oil, just enough to fry them:



Once the seeds had darkened a little, I added the canned tomato plus a bit of tomato puree:



When this started simmering I added salt and pepper to taste, and about a teaspoon of brown sugar. The sugar is very important: it takes the sharpness off the tomato. It makes all the difference.

I then added dried oregano and a generous helping of olive oil:



Sorry about the blurriness. Shaky hand I guess.

I chopped 10 green olives into halves. Don't they look gorgeous:



and I added them to the sauce. The olives were in a jar in brine, so I poured a little of the water from the jar into the sauce. You will probably need to add water anyway so that it has enough liquid to reduce down while the pasta cooks. The more it reduces, the better it will taste.



There was nothing left to do with the sauce except leave it to simmer while the pasta cooked. After ten or fifteen minutes everything was ready:



I served it with garlic bread and grated cheese, but it's great on its own too.

:9

[graywarrior]

1. Now that's sexy as hell!

[billyskank]

2. *sprays throat*

:D

[Richard Steele]

3. Now I'm hungry!

That looks really good. :thumbsup:

[billyskank]

4. I'm certainly enjoying eating it.

:9

[Richard Steele]

7. I've actually got some sausage in the oven right now...

I was gonna eat it by itself, but now you've got me
thinking thoughts of spicy tomato sauce & pasta
to put it in...

[seemunkee]

14. No sex threads

[Richard Steele]

16. :)

[wildhorses]

5. nummers

:9

[billyskank]

6. This is good, yes?

:hi:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. Oooooh! I'm coming to your house for dinner!

[billyskank]

9. I'll clean the place up then.

:hi:

[Inchworm]

10. WoWza!

Thats very cool! AND it has pictures a rookie can follow.

Ok, ok.. so I don't know what a fennel seed is yet, but I gots internets! :dunce:

:yourock:

[stuntcat]

11. I'd SO eat that!

:9 :9 :9 I'd be all over that :9 :9 :9

[fizzgig]

12. if i weren't so full right now

i'd be starving. looks very tasty sweetie :9

[BarenakedLady]

13. Oh my

My stomach is growling just looking at that. Yummmmmy! :9

I'm coming over for dinner!

Darn, st00pid ocean in the way. x(

[billyskank]

15. Wait till you see what's for dessert

:evilgrin:

[querelle]

17. Now That Looks Really Good!

I would add some spicy sausage though.........Are you vegetarian billy?

Q

[billyskank]

19. Yes, I'm vegetarian.

:hi:

[AndreaCG]

21. There's yummy veg sausage out there : )

[CaliforniaPeggy]

18. My dear billy!

Wow, you cook too?

Some lovely young lady is in for a treat!

Looks wonderful, and easy too.....

Thanks for sharing!


:hug:

[billyskank]

20. Thank you, Peggy.

:blush:

:hug:

[hippywife]

22. Spectacular!

But then you had me at the fennel seeds! :hi:

[Lyric]

23. Ohhhh my...

You can cook for me ANY day! *tummy rumbles*

[Rabrrrrrr]

24. Holy cow - you have access to the Ur Kitchen?

I thought it existed only in theory.

I want access, too!!!!!!

[Callalily]

25. Oh Billy!

You are a man of many talents. Did I ever tell you that I bake bread? Here's a pic of some French bread that I baked last winter. Would go good with your pasta, don't you think?

Anyway, tomatoes and green olives are always a winning combination, but coupled with your toasted fennel? Super yummy!

[billyskank]

26. I think they would be an excellent combination!

:hug:

:hi:

[Callalily]

27. Yes, I think so too.

Additionally, I have an organic garden and grow my own tomatoes. Your pasta sauce made with fresh tomatoes would be awesome. Here's a pic from last years crop. I grow many varieties, red ones too, so have no fear. :rofl:

[Pied Piper]

28. Hey billy!

I'm totally stealing your fennel seed plan - I've never cooked with them before.

I like to eat, but I hate to cook - it feels like a chore. Some folks LOVE to cook - I say, let them, and then I'll have dinner.

Anyway, one of my former roommates (um, I guess that would be "flatmate" to you) told me that if you don't know what to fix for dinner, just start sauteing onions and garlic in olive oil, the rest of the meal will take care of itself. And she was right!

So here's my pasta sauce recipe: (sorry, no pics)

2 small to medium onions
2 or 3 cloves garlic (there is no such thing as "too much garlic", only more or less garlic...)
1/2 green pepper, sliced
1/2 red pepper, sliced
white mushrooms, sliced
1 jar Classico pasta sauce - it's the best sauce I've been able to find locally - the rest are too sweet
1 can Hunt's tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 or 2 glugs of red wine


Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil. Add the peppers. Add whatever spices you like, plus the salt and pepper. Add the Classico sauce. Add the mushrooms. Add the Hunt's sauce. Add the wine. I like my pasta sauce to be chunky, so sometimes I add stuff like summer squash, broccoli or other veggies. Simmer. Cook the pasta. Serve. Yum! Refrigerate or freeze the leftover sauce, and have it for dinner next week.

I find that making pasta sauce serves as a wonderful vehicle with which to use leftovers of almost anything. I also find that rotini works well with a chunky sauce.

Bon appetite!

[hlthe2b]

29. Hon... you make that in my kitchen....

You're never gonna get to leave! YUMMMMMMM. Fennel, now that's a thought, thanks for the tip!