Warrigal
SF VIP
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
I've been thinking of AZJim and understand what he is facing right now.
My husband is totally helpless in the kitchen despite my best efforts to teach him some simple meals.
I admit self interest here because if I am incapacitated I shudder at the thought of eating whatever he would serve up to me.
As I was thinking about what to serve tonight I decided on sausages from the freezer. I usually make them up into an easy to make pasta dish and decided to photograph the steps and write out a tutorial for AZJim, but not just for him. Perhaps in the future I will be able to get my husband to follow the same instructions.
First - the ingredients.
Everything in the recipe is a staple I keep on the shelf or in the fridge/freezer and I can pull them out any time I want. They are
-1 lb of long sausages (8 in a pack from the supermarket). Mine were frozen so I thawed them out in the kitchen sink earlier in the afternoon.
- 2 medium sized brown onions - the amount used depends on how much you like onions. I like them a lot.
- 1 can of diced tomatoes and 1/2 tub of tomato paste or two tins of tomatoes.
- about a teaspoon of crushed garlic. I keep a jar of this in the fridge because I don't use it all the time. It keeps.
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups of pasta. I used spirals because they are easy to eat with a spoon and fork.
Utensils - a saucepan and a frying pan. I used a 15 inch non stick pan and a 10 inch saucepan.
Method -
Slice the onions. I like to cut them into slivers but whatever method you like is OK.
A splash of oil or a knob of butter in the frying pan and heat the onions over medium heat. Try not to burn the onions. If they start to go brown reduce heat.
Add the sausages to the pan and cook until both sides are just turning brown. The sausages should now be firm enough to cut into inch long chunks.
Return sausages to the pan, add the can of tomatoes and the crushed garlic and heat gently for about another 5 minutes to blend all the flavours.
In the saucepan boil water with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Salt is optional and can be omitted.
When boiling vigorously, add the pasta and simmer for about 10 minutes. This can be taking place at the same time as you are cooking the sausages. The pasta should not be too squishy when you turn off the heat and drain it.
Finally, add the pasta to the chopped sausages, tomato and onions in the pan. Heat gently for another 5 - 10 minutes. If it is too dry add a small amount of water and some tomato paste or just add another can of diced tomatoes. Crushed tomatoes are just as good.
Serve and eat with whatever else you fancy. Some hot garlic bread is good. So is any other bread you have on hand.
I took some photos to illustrate the instructions and you will see that while this thread is about cooking for one, there will be enough food for 3 - 4 meals so have some plastic containers on hand to put meals aside for another day. It will freeze quite well and all you have to do is heat in the microwave. You might need to add a small amount of water because the pasta will have soaked some up and it might be a little bit dry.
Onions have been heated first then the sausages are added and cooked just enough to be able to cut them into chunks.
Sausages and onions before adding tomato and garlic.
Handy staples to keep on hand. Crushed garlic kept in fridge, canned diced tomato, pasta spirals.
Cooked pasta - al dente - which means chewy, not squishy.
After adding pasta tomato and garlic to the pan with the sausages and onions. I like more tomato than this so I added half a tub of tomato paste and a bit of water. (The rest of the tomato paste can be kept in the freezer.)
Alternately add an extra can of tomatoes.
The finished product. Eat as much as you like, put the rest in food containers for another meal (or two)
Each time you attempt this you will become more confident and more efficient.
Bon appetit.
My husband is totally helpless in the kitchen despite my best efforts to teach him some simple meals.
I admit self interest here because if I am incapacitated I shudder at the thought of eating whatever he would serve up to me.
As I was thinking about what to serve tonight I decided on sausages from the freezer. I usually make them up into an easy to make pasta dish and decided to photograph the steps and write out a tutorial for AZJim, but not just for him. Perhaps in the future I will be able to get my husband to follow the same instructions.
First - the ingredients.
Everything in the recipe is a staple I keep on the shelf or in the fridge/freezer and I can pull them out any time I want. They are
-1 lb of long sausages (8 in a pack from the supermarket). Mine were frozen so I thawed them out in the kitchen sink earlier in the afternoon.
- 2 medium sized brown onions - the amount used depends on how much you like onions. I like them a lot.
- 1 can of diced tomatoes and 1/2 tub of tomato paste or two tins of tomatoes.
- about a teaspoon of crushed garlic. I keep a jar of this in the fridge because I don't use it all the time. It keeps.
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups of pasta. I used spirals because they are easy to eat with a spoon and fork.
Utensils - a saucepan and a frying pan. I used a 15 inch non stick pan and a 10 inch saucepan.
Method -
Slice the onions. I like to cut them into slivers but whatever method you like is OK.
A splash of oil or a knob of butter in the frying pan and heat the onions over medium heat. Try not to burn the onions. If they start to go brown reduce heat.
Add the sausages to the pan and cook until both sides are just turning brown. The sausages should now be firm enough to cut into inch long chunks.
Return sausages to the pan, add the can of tomatoes and the crushed garlic and heat gently for about another 5 minutes to blend all the flavours.
In the saucepan boil water with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Salt is optional and can be omitted.
When boiling vigorously, add the pasta and simmer for about 10 minutes. This can be taking place at the same time as you are cooking the sausages. The pasta should not be too squishy when you turn off the heat and drain it.
Finally, add the pasta to the chopped sausages, tomato and onions in the pan. Heat gently for another 5 - 10 minutes. If it is too dry add a small amount of water and some tomato paste or just add another can of diced tomatoes. Crushed tomatoes are just as good.
Serve and eat with whatever else you fancy. Some hot garlic bread is good. So is any other bread you have on hand.
I took some photos to illustrate the instructions and you will see that while this thread is about cooking for one, there will be enough food for 3 - 4 meals so have some plastic containers on hand to put meals aside for another day. It will freeze quite well and all you have to do is heat in the microwave. You might need to add a small amount of water because the pasta will have soaked some up and it might be a little bit dry.
Onions have been heated first then the sausages are added and cooked just enough to be able to cut them into chunks.
Sausages and onions before adding tomato and garlic.
Handy staples to keep on hand. Crushed garlic kept in fridge, canned diced tomato, pasta spirals.
Cooked pasta - al dente - which means chewy, not squishy.
After adding pasta tomato and garlic to the pan with the sausages and onions. I like more tomato than this so I added half a tub of tomato paste and a bit of water. (The rest of the tomato paste can be kept in the freezer.)
Alternately add an extra can of tomatoes.
The finished product. Eat as much as you like, put the rest in food containers for another meal (or two)
Each time you attempt this you will become more confident and more efficient.
Bon appetit.
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