A little less about the baking!! Pasta Arrabiata

I have been blogging a fair bit recently about baking. Due to a busy few months, I have been falling back on my stand bys for dinners and have had not too many new offerings for you all. I have been depending on more help from the troops. The kids are starting to get good at cooking by themselves now, and due to them going to the cookery classes with me every week, they are developing into quite knowledgeable little foodies! (They would not admit this to their friends of course! Pizza and goujons are the official line)

I am not inclined to cook much pasta and pasta sauce at home. I think my college life particularly when I moved out and lived on pasta for economic reasons, has meant that pasta is only an occasional fall back for me. It is however one of the top two or three all time kid favourites, so it is handy to have a few go-to recipes in your pocket.

This is a little gem It is a version of every other tomato based sauce, with only a couple of additions, but it is very tasty and laced with basil it is even yummier.
I have added bacon to the classic Arriabiata and made my own version. I was liberal enough with the chili and I was surprised the kids didn't protest about it, but I said nothing, and they said nothing, so nothing was said!!
Of course it goes without saying that you can leave it out, or indeed adapt this whichever way you want.


Pasta Arrabiata

First, chop an onion and a clove of garlic quite finely. I have taken to using a little mini chopper for speed and to protect my poor eyes!
Next, cook off a packet of bacon lardons (about 200g) in a dry pan for  a few minutes until they are cooked.
In a saucepan, put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and add the onion and garlic and cook for a minute or two. Then add in some chopped chili, to taste. I used about a  half a teaspoon from a tube of fresh chili that I keep in the fridge as I don't often have chilis in the vegetable drawer. (You can get these near the fresh herbs in the supermarket)

Cook for a minute and add a tin of chopped tomatoes, a pinch of salt and a quarter teaspoon of pepper and a quarter teaspoon of sugar.
Add some chopped basil and cook for a minute until bubbling, then add the cooked bacon. Taste for seasoning after a minute or two and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
I left the simmering sauce for  about 20 minutes, this gave me more than enough time to cook some fusili pasta, although I think Penne is the usual partner for this, you can serve it with whatever takes your fancy.

This took no time at all and would be a great weeknight fall back. The kids loved it anyway and Daniel made it the following day for lunch, so it obviously went down well!

While I am at it, this is the little mini chopper I was talking about. I bought a few of them and I use them in the cookery school for chopping onions and garlic, for speed and also to avoid a class full of teary students! They are handy little things and only two parts and a blade need to be washed. Just as fast as a chopping board. They do go from coarsely chopped to a paste in seconds so you have to be on the ball, but I think they are great. I got them on sale in Kildare village for €17. I can't guarantee that you'll get it for that, not sure what they are going for, but well worth having to expedite the chopping portion of food prep!