If Life Gives You Lemons, Say Thank You! (Nothing's Free Nowadays)

If there’s one thing I can be proud of with my Mom’s culinary expertise, it is her own version of Lengua Estofado, Menudo, and Calloz Royale. Those three are phenomenal! And if there’s one thing I am very ashamed of, it’s her Spaghetti a la Ketchup. That one is dangerously horrendous!

No wonder they call this Depression Spaghetti http://www.convergingcuisine.com/?p=28

I really don’t understand why my Mom still uses her spaghetti ketchup recipe. When we were kids, probably it tastes good, but now, it seems like I am eating pasta soaked in Jufran’s Banana ketchup. Yes, that’s how my palates become more sophisticated after writing several articles on wedding food during my stint in Manila Bulletin.

Since then, I prefer pasta without the color red in it. I desired for simple, oil-based pasta. That’s why when I discovered the power of Olive Oil and its different uses, particularly in pasta; I decided that I needed to learn oil-based pasta recipes.

No penne? No problem! Use spaghetti!

So where else does a pseudo-cook could get a good oil-based pasta recipes? At the back packaging of a factory-made pasta! So for our first cookfest at Maggie’s house, I decided to make the recipe I found from the back packaging of San Remo’s Penne Pasta: Tuna Lemon Pasta!

I found it quite enticing, due to the fact that it has less ingredients and less complicated instructions.

Here’s the ingredients:

400g Penne Pasta

1 can of Tuna, drained

1 pc of Lemon

1 can of button mushrooms, drained, sliced

Garlic, chopped

Onion, chopped

Pepper, crushed

Virgin olive oil

For seasoning:

½ teaspoon of rock salt

Lemon Thyme

Well, to start off, cook pasta according to the instructions in the packet. Drain it. Make sure it’s al dente. To test, throw it to your neighbor, if it comes back, it’s not al dente.

Now, heat your pan, generously put your olive oil. Place all your onion, garlic, mushroom, and pepper. Stir it for 5 minutes. Then add the tuna. Stir it again for 5 minutes.

Slice your lemon. Squeeze it to your ingredients. Make sure you strained the seeds. Hello. Then stir it again for 5 minutes.

Lemon garnish it!

Now toss your tuna mixture through your drained pasta. Mix it well. Add lemon thyme and salt to taste. Mix it well, again.

Plate it and serve it hot.

Tuna Lemon Pasta is certainly an easy way to make your pasta and everyday ingredients classy and sophisticated. It’s fresh and light and so easy to make!

So again, no to Ketchup Pasta! Go for healthier ingredients!

bon appetit!