You don't have to know how to cook in order to cook

If I had waited till I knew what I was doing before I tried cooking something, I'd have been even skinnier than the 80's expected me to be. As it was, I had a penchant for eating, not much in the way of money and a never dwindling case of the munchies that led me (and my friends) to eat - well, nearly anything really.
Thus began my journey of trial and error.
These days I'm a fuller figure than way back then, and the munchies come from prescription medication. Although money doesn't have the driving influence of the heady days of poverty-induced vegetarianism, I can find myself still cooking up a lentil meal just because I like it.

There was nothing like being desperate for a pancake at 11pm at night to help you figure out what you can substitute for eggs, milk and sometimes even flour...

Thursday 23 May 2013

Clean out the bottom of the Fridge Pasta

You can use ANY vegetable and ANY pasta:  Trial and error will tell you whether it's a good combination or not.  Besides, you're cleaning out your fridge, you must be hungry.
The essentials are:  Pasta, Bacon & Cream

I started with these:

I pulled out my trusty camping cookware, just because I love it - and it's great for bacon and sloooow cooking.  I used the billy because it fits all the Fettuccine into it.  By the end of the cooking process proper, the frypan wont be big enough, but that wont stop the end result of the meal!

Let's Cook:
Fill the saucepan with water and a pinch of salt.  While you wait for the water to boil (for the Fettuccine or other pasta) chop up the vegies and strips of bacon (you could use pastrami, salami, chicken or ham...)


 Because I used bacon - complete with fatty bits and all, I did not use butter or oil, I just added it to the pan, stirred it round and round and when it started to sizzle, turned the flame right down and talked to my daughter for a while....

If you want your bacon dead and buried, cook it till it's just under charcoal before adding the vegies.  I like it to still have a bit of form for this dish so as the fat on the bacon became translucent and the edges of the bacon looked a bit redder than the rest of it, I added the vegies

this is a tricky timing thing now.  By this time the water should be boiling for your pasta and you've thrown the pasta in and cooked it according to the directions (normally 10 minutes on rolling boil).
Keep the vegies and bacon sizzling and slapping each other at a temperature you'd normally fry an egg at:  Low heat and watch the goings on,

In the meantime, grab at least 3 eggs and say half/three quarters a cup of cream (sour cream, fresh cream... all the same in this pot) NO SALT IF YOU'RE USING PIGGY PRODUCTS!!.  As we are cleaning out the fridge, your eggs may not be the happiest of foods.  Perhaps you've lured them out of a dark corner where they have been forgotten for a while.  If your eggs are looking a bit sad, make them happy before you beat them, cook them and eat them.

mix them up with cream, till it's a sloppy, thicker than scrambled eggs mix
.
add it to the bacon and vegie mix
Stir, stir, stir..  you don't want an omelette.  Just as the mixture thickens around the edges TURN THE HEAT OFF

give it a few moments to itself so it can think about things .  It may not look exactly appetizing, but believe me it will taste superb.  There's always an interesting twist to a 'clean out the fridge pasta'.

Meanwhile, your pasta should be ready... drain...leave it draining for a moment (only a moment - any longer, you best put some butter or oil on it because pasta, like most things that are not at their best on their own, tends to get clingy...)



Clingy, co-ey, pasta remnants:  has one good time with a saucepan and wont let go!


I did mention that the frypan was going to be a tad undersized


And there you have it.  No matter how un-sensational this looks, I know from experience and thirty years of el-cheapo cooking, that this particular dish rarely makes it to the table before it gets shoveled into hungry mouths.  the smell is amazing, the taste is delicious and though it has a poor reputation for glamour, it's a great 'night before shopping' meal and 'slap together at the last minute.  Goes great wit broccoli, peas, zucchinis (courgettes) snow peas, asparagus, chicken... ah heck, just empty your fridge into the pan!

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