Back to Square One

Or rather, to recipe number one. I'm starting with the first recipe in Cupboard Love; pasta and tinned plum tomatoes.

95. Spaghetti and Tinned Plum Tomatoes - *Pasta*

A wise woman once said, well actually she said it just two days ago, "anyone who does not shun tinned toms is my kind of person." Thanks, Redhead! I completely agree. Beautiful tinned plum tomatoes are one of the key cupboard ingredients, and the basic ingredient in Tom's Pasta chapter.

All you need: tomatoes and garlic!

The recipe for the pasta dish is so easy! All you do is squish a tin of plum tomatoes (San Marzano, but of course!) in a colander until you get a nice pulp. Then you add them to a pan in which you sauteed a couple of broken garlic cloves in some butter and oil. It is seasoned with some salt and sugar and is left simmer while the pasta is boiling.


One tin of tomatoes does not yield a whole lot of sauce, so I was a bit worried it wouldn't be enough for the 200 grams of spaghetti.

But once the pasta was done and drained, a teaspoon of butter was added, and the tomato sauce gave the spaghetti a nice coat. I have to admit to adding a few drops of water to the sauce as well. I topped the dish with just a sprinkling of parmesan.

The spaghetti was delicious! Rafa was a bit worried about the amount of sauce too, but after eating a few bites, he said, 'This is really good; you really surprised me!' Phew!! It's true, a little sauce goes a very long way. This spaghetti was full of flavor! This will definitely become another cupboard standby for me! Now I just need to get some more tins of tomatoes!!