Karen Wright: The emergency pasta that saved dinner
Last week we hoped to exchange contracts and move into our new home, it didn't happen! They say that moving house is one of the most stressful things you can go through and I can vouch for that. We are still waiting and hoping it can be sorted out soon.
As we have packed most of our belongings into storage to facilitate the move, we have very few items at our disposal. I have a couple of saucepans, two dinner plates, and four wine glasses amongst my kitchen equipment. I am used to camping and it does feel very much like that!
As the day of our hopeful move approached, I had pretty much emptied our fridge and freezer. When we realised the move was not happening that day, I wondered what to make for our evening meal. I found half a packet of pasta, one tin of chopped tomatoes, a red onion, and a block of feta cheese. That was all that I had to play with! I made a delicious meal using these meagre items, and this is what I did:
I boiled a pan of water and cooked the pasta until it was a couple of minutes from being done. I finely chopped the onion and softened it in a frying pan with a little olive oil. Then I added the chopped tomatoes and brought it all to a simmer. I added the pasta and a little of the pasta water and then I crumbled the feta and stirred it through the pasta. After a few minutes the cheese started to melt, and the sauce began to look very creamy. I seasoned it to taste, and it was ready to serve.
I have no idea how long we might be in limbo like this, but we have no choice but to make the best of the situation. Sometimes life feels a little like a game of snakes and ladders, one minute you feel you have climbed to the top rung on the longest ladder and the next minute you are slithering down one of the snakes! Watch this space for more one pot emergency dinners as we await the outcome of the game!