Tasty Tomato and Mushroom Pasta

Pasta with a tomato based sauce made from scratch is one of the most economical dinners around. It's also a classic example of simple Italian flavours making a deeply satisfying meal. Today I made one with mushrooms and anchovies, other great combinations include sopressa & red capsicum, tuna & capers, zucchini & eggplant or olives, sun dried tomatoes & bacon. A rich twist with a dash of cream makes a rosé sauce, which is extra fattening and delicious.

The secret to a great tomato pasta sauce is patience. You need to simmer the sauce for an hour, it makes a world of difference. I don't know why, it just does.

I tend to add some combination of anchovies and vegetables, if you don't like anchovies, I recommend you try adding just one or two. You won't even taste them and it adds a depth of flavour that is hard to match.

Fresh basil at the end is always good, although it's still early spring and pretty expensive in the shops so I didn't use any today
 

Tasty Tomato and Mushroom Pasta - serves 2

 

4 cloves garlic

1 tin tomatoes

olive oil
 

8 mushrooms sliced
6 Anchovy fillets
 

250gm wholemeal pasta

Parmesan cheese and spring onion to garnish

 

Start by frying 6 anchovy fillets (or your fatty meat of choice e.g. bacon/sopressa/pepperoni) and 4 cloves of roughly chopped garlic on a low heat until the anchovy breaks up and the garlic softens.

 

Add the mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes

 

Add one tin of tomatoes and 1 cup of water, bring to boil and then simmer for an hour.

 

 

The sauce will be become rich and thick, add a little water from the pasta to thin it out if needed

 

Taste the sauce for pepper, salt and sugar.

 

Because the tinned tomatoes I use aren't very sweet I usually end up adding about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar.



 

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir through

 

 

A sprinkle of spring onion, parmesan cheese and olive oil finishes this nicely