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Pasta Speciale

Prep Time5 hours 20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: Main Course

Ingredients

  • 1/4 onion finely chopped or celery if you prefer
  • One clove of garlic crushed and finely chopped
  • Splodge of balsamic vinegar
  • 3 or 4 large mushrooms finely chopped
  • 2 x vegetable stock cubes I prefer Knorr but Oxo will do
  • Chilli flakes
  • Tomato puree two big splodges
  • Tin of tinned chopped tomatoes
  • Half a jar of Sacla pesto sauce
  • Small tub of double cream or two large tbsp scoops of Philly if not available.
  • Rigatoni pasta or any pasta of choice – 2-3oz per person
  • Optional rocket about half of a standard supermarket bag

Instructions

  • Boil kettle and put big pot of water on the cooker to boil for the pasta
  • Chop onion and put in pan with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, stir and allow to marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
  • Chop the mushroom and the garlic finely and once the onion is translucent, add to the pan (you probably need to add some more olive oil as the mushrooms soak up any liquid almost instantly.
  • Add chilli flakes and stir in thoroughly so the ingredients are coated.
  • Add tomato puree and stir in thoroughly
  • Add stock cubes and a splash of water from the kettle. Keep stirring until there is a gloopy dollop in the pan, not too runny but not too thick. Add more water if required.
  • Add tin of chopped tomatoes and stir thoroughly.
  • Season lightly with salt and pepper
  • Add half the jar of pesto sauce and stir in thoroughly and allow the ingredients to simmer slowly while the pasta pot boils
  • When the pasta water is boiling, add the pasta (2-3 oz per person depending how hungry you are).
  • When there is 5 minutes left for the pasta to boil, add in the tub of double cream (or 2 dollops of Philly) and stir in thoroughly.
  • When the pasta is boiled drain and put 2 serving spoons of water from the pasta pot into the sauce mix (this makes it more creamy and scrumptious).
  • Add the optional rocket to the sauce and stir in till wilted
  • Add the pasta to the sauce and combine.
  • Serve with a light seasonal salad and parmesan. Some fresh foccia to wipe your plate with afterwards is desirable!