The start-up cook: Pasta Sauce

May 03 2013.

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This is a new cooking column for beginners from a beginner.

Let’s begin with a simple pasta dish. This recipe was lent to me by my good friend and culinary goddess in her own right – Maneshka. It’s a can’t- go-wrong-dinner, ideal for a-first -time-in-the-kitchen case.

 
 
Pasta Sauce:
 
 
Ingredients 
 
350 Grams minced chicken (it’s a little, but it’s always better to start your culinary expedition with only a few guinea pigs to food poison)
 
2-3 medium sized ripe tomatoes
 
1 large onion
 
Few spring onions including its zesty leaves
 
One/two cloves of garlic
 
Half a teaspoon of ginger (grated)
 
Half a cup of Ketchup

Half a lime
 
Parsley
 
Thyme (I use powdered)
 
Paprika
 
Oregano
 
Chili
 
Salt & Pepper 
 
 
 
Directions: 
 
Squeeze lime juice over the minced chicken and leave to marinade. (I also prefer to add a pinch of cinnamon, turmeric and unroasted chili powder)
 
Wash, clean and fine dice the onions, spring onions, garlic and parsley.
 
Blanche tomatoes in hot water, peel and blend to puree.
 
Heat some oil (I use slightly less than a teaspoon) in a non stick pan and fry the onions, spring onions and garlic till golden.
 
Add the chicken and cook, add some salt and pepper as well.
 
Once the chicken is cooked, add the pureed tomatoes and ketchup and cook in low heat.
 
Add some thyme, oregano, paprika and chili (optional) according to your taste.
 

Cook for twenty minutes in low heat, turn off the stove and add your chopped parsley in to the sauce, stir and close the lid of the pan. 
 
You can add some corn flour dissolved in a little water to thicken the sauce if required. 
 
 
 
 
Disasters ,Warnings and Tips
 
Pasta (the noodles) actually does take a while to boil, and it depends on the brand as well. Add salt and boil or it will taste bland.
 
A colander for straining the boiled pasta is a necessity, after straining, add a little bit of cool water and wash the noodles, while in the colander. This is to evade the stickiness.
 
Remember to get ripe tomatoes for the puree or your sauce will end up looking sickly orange, you’re looking for more of a reddish sauce. 
 
Don’t always stick to the precise number recommended in a recipe, when I made this the third time I felt that I needed more puree. That was a bit of a disaster that day, had to give it to the dog.!
 
Keep tasting, if you feel you need an additional dash of this and that or a little extra ketchup use it. I like my pasta sauce herby so I add little more oregano. 
 

 

 

 

By Shazzana Hamid 



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