Why is pasta so easy to make and so versatile?

It is my first choice when I don’t know what to cook. Throw it in with any sauce; white, red, yogurt or anything and eat. I LOVE PASTA!

And BREAD!

Oh you can’t believe how much I love warm, freshly baked bread. The Lebanese loaf of bread, round and puffy, browned top and bottom and a little crispy, torn with both hands and dipped in labneh with olive oil drizzled on top. Life can’t get any better. Or maybe, equally delicious, a loaf of freshly home baked French bread with a crunchy crust, pulled apart to reveal the steamy white insides and dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar before having a bite that would definitely lead to another.

I got so carried away with the bread that I forgot my main dish. It’s only because I’m so happy that – finally – I have baked bread that was perfect after some jaw breaking attempts. After searching for an easy and quick bread recipe, making the recipe didn’t leave me much time during or afterwards for a big lunch as I was in a hurry to catch my theatre class. I had to come up with the quickest, a good recipe that would not take much time preparing and cooking: Pasta with ingredients found at home.

Immediately, I took out a couple of Sojouk sausages and one portion of vegetable stock from the freezer and decided to make Italian inspired pasta with a Lebanese twist.

Italian Inspired Lebanese Spaghetti

Ingredients:

1 pack brown pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 soujok sausages (cover removed and diced)
3 tomatoes (peeled and diced)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2-3 cups vegetable stock/water
Fresh thyme for garnish

How to make:

Start with the sauce because it takes more time.
Heat the olive oil in a medium pot
Add onions and garlic and cook until translucent
Add salt, pepper, cumin, basil and oregano and mix well
Add the soujok and cook until get a little crispy on the outside
Add the diced tomatoes, stir, followed by the paste. Give it a good stir
Add the stock (according to need) and let it simmer for around 30 min to reduce and thicken stirring occasionally. If you feel prefer a runny sauce, add extra water or stock before simmering.
Cook the pasta according to pack instructions leaving it al dente
Drain and drop in the sauce, give it a good stir
Top the dishes with fresh thyme and/or grated Parmesan

Enjoy with freshly baked bread dipped in extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a glass of red wine. That’s what I did.

Sahtein.