This is one of the easiest and most economical dishes we know. It can be produced using store cupboard ingredients, and is incredibly flexible, served as a pasta sauce, on top of rice, as a pizza topping or as an alternative to ketchup with fish or steak.
Dawn: Is this another of your student specials?
Andrew: It is! By seeking out the discount ranges, a meal for four can be produced for about a pound!
Dawn: A bargain!
Ingredients
Serves 2 as a pasta sauce
1 red or white onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tin of tomatoes
Olive oil for frying
Method
- Over a medium heat and in a little olive oil, cook the onion for 5 minutes until it turns translucent.
- Add the garlic, chilli and basil and cook for a further minute.
- Now pour in the tin of tomatoes and turn the heat to a low simmer.
- Stirring occasionally, allow the sauce to thicken over half an hour or so. This will allow the flavours to develop and the sauce to turn a deep shade of red.
- When cooked it can be served as warm with pasta, or allowed to cool it can be used as an accompaniment.
Dawn: Can we be flexible with the herbs and spices, too?
Andrew: We can. Whatever is to hand can be used. If we were Italian of course we would be using fresh ripe tomatoes!
Fabulous ideas abound at https://forfoodlovers.wordpress.com and the Twitter account @Love_Food_UK as well as our Facebook and Mumsnet links.
