Beef and Mushroom Pasta

I’m no domestic goddess, although I am completely and shamelessly obsessed with Nigella Lawson. But that, I shall talk about another day. As mentioned before, I find cooking such a chore in terms of the amount of ingredients to prepare, but sometimes, cooking can be therapeutic and almost bordering on the line of cathartic. I mean, after a long day at work/school, you just want to come home to a bowl of comfort, something that can perk you up and give you that instant gratification that you need.

 Cooking is my mum’s realm and that is why I rarely meddle with the things in the kitchen. So that day when my mum said “Why not you cook dinner tonight”, I must admit that I was a little scared that my cooking wouldn’t be up to standard because everything that comes out from her kitchen is nothing short of amazing. It felt nice though, being able to prepare dinner – from the very start of prepping my ingredients to the end of dishing out plates of pasta. As cheesy as this might sound, I think there is no better feeling than cooking for the ones you love, especially if you know that they enjoyed it.

For me, pasta is always an easy way out – boil my pasta, warm some bottled sauce, throw in a few ingredients and I have a meal. But I was heading for something more adventurous that day and I decided to venture into the world of tomato puree and homemade pasta sauce.

Recipe: Serves 2 very hungry people, or 3

200 grams minced beef (use pork or chicken if you like)
150 grams white button mushrooms, roughly chopped
100 grams cherry tomatoes, halved
1 white onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
200 grams tomato puree
150 ml water
1 chicken stock cube
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar (adjust according to taste)
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
Dried herbs – parsley, thyme, oregano… (or be lazy like me and get a provencal mix)
Salt and Pepper, to taste

200 grams pasta

• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pot.
• When the oil is heated, fry the onion till slightly softened, then add the garlic.
• Add in the beef and fry till all the meat turns brown, and when the juices have been released.
• Add in the mushrooms and cherry tomatoes and give them a light fry.
• When all the ingredients are well mixed, stir in the tomato puree and add in the water. (You may not need all the water so adjust according to your desired consistency)
• Throw in the bay leaf and chicken stock cube and stir well.
• Taste and then mix in the tomato ketchup and sugar. Season with salt and pepper, according to the taste you like.
• Sprinkle the herbs into the sauce and stir to mix.
• Bring the sauce to a boil then let it simmer over a small-medium flame for 15-25 minutes, till it thickens.

• When ready to eat, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
• While the pasta is cooking, warm the sauce and once the pasta is cooked, toss it in the sauce immediately. Some remaining water from the pasta will help to thicken the sauce.
• Give the pasta/sauce a good mix and serve alongside a salad or in my case, blanched broccoli.

Ended up with something that looked and tasted decent. Not a world class or restaurant worthy pasta dish but good enough for a warm, comforting friday night dinner with Mum ❤