I love cooking pasta. Given that I’m a gluten-free eater, that may come as a bit of a surprise but I put it down to being deprived of it for years until they came up with decent replacements.
The thing about tomato based pasta sauces is that they’re really easy to make, incredibly tasty if you give them the love and attention they deserve and you can freeze or bottle them to take with on your travels. You can also make a mean pasta sauce in a potjie!
I saw a recipe yesterday that inspired me, but given my passion for this hearty Italian dish and the fact that I don’t follow recipes, I couldn’t help but flip it on its head when I made it for dinner last night. Turned out beautifully! So here it is for you to try:
INGREDIENTS: (Serves 2 well)
400g chopped tomatoes (1 tin)
2tsp tomato paste or passata
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tsp dried chilli (modify to taste or leave out)
2 chicken breasts (shredded)
3 courgettes (sliced vertically into thin ribbons – you can use a vegetable peeler for this)
1 cup drained chickpeas (or half a tin)
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pipped and halved
200ml white wine (plus another 250ml to drink)
1 round of feta (with black pepper preferably or plain will do)
3tsp brown sugar
1/2 cup water
100g butter
3 basil leaves, torn
handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
Enough pasta for two people, spaghetti or penne (if you’re going gluten free, try Glutagon – available at most health stores)
METHOD:
Melt the butter in a hot pan and fry the garlic and onion until translucent. Add the chilli flakes and after two minutes add the chicken and chickpeas. Once the chicken has turned white, pour in the tomatoes, tomato paste or passata, wine and water. Add the brown sugar and herbs and mix well. Turn the heat down and allow to simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally.
After about 15 minutes, get your pasta on the go. Add the olives and courgette ribbons to your sauce and crumble half of the feta cheese in as well. When your pasta is ready, your sauce should be good to go. Check the consistency and if it’s still too watery, simply leave it to reduce further.
Drain the pasta, add to the sauce, toss, sprinkle with the remaining feta and enjoy!
(Apologies for the lack of photo, it was gone before I thought to take one!)
