It is completely up to you if you want to post this haha, but if you want to publish it on your blog then be my best- But my main recipe that i LOVE is what i call my smashed tomato pasta. There are 2 variants depending on if you want something 'fresher' or something more heavy., but this one is the quickest one and I really love it.
Fresh Smashed Tomato Pasta- 1 portion. This is easily doubled for extra portions though, and heats up easy.
Ingredients:
-Your favourite pasta type
-2 Garlic bulbs, grated or chopped
-1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar or another vinegar. this is optional, but it really tightens the flavours
-herbs and spices of your choice (or none!)
-Handful of spinach (optional)
-parmesan, feta or mozarella (cheese of your choice! I am a mozarella fiend though bc i prefer when it melts)
Pre-Note: If it is a pasta that cooks in 5-8 minutes I recommend either cooking the pasta in advance, or starting the tomatoes at the same time as you start boiling the water. If it is a pasta that cooks for longer, then you can start the tomatoes when you add the pasta.
Put your pasta water on the boil with a bit of salt, and add the pasta when it is at its boiling point. If it is a pasta 7-10 minute cooking time you can add the tomatoes at
put a bit of cooking oil in a frying pain and keep it on low heat for like a minute. You can then put in the tomatoes and turn the heat up to medium
Wait until the skins of the tomatoes start to split (you can help them along by squeezing/popping them with a fork, but this can splatter. Honestly, it can splatter anyway so it is up to you) and add the garlic. Let the garlic cook for 1-2 minutes (try to avoid any longer, as garlic burns quickly)
Add a tablespoon or 2 of sour cream and let that cook with the tomato juices for a bit, and a dash of vinegar. Then add a bit of pasta water to soften the flavours. You can add your herbs now.
After draining the pasta you can either pour the pasta into the sauce or vice versa. For me it depends on how much washing I feel like doing.
You can add cheese at any point, including before if you want the sauce itself to be cheesy.
I also have a Heavy Smashed Tomatoes recipe that uses heavy cream instead of sour cream as well as adding stock to the cooking pasta, and SO much mozarella. But that is maybe not what you are looking for lol- the above is a really nice meal that can be eaten often. At my local grocery stores I get little boxes with like 9-10 cherry tomatoes, and the above portions can be easily stretched.
For me, food can be very connected to building self esteem and feeling control over your life. It can genuinely be a bit of an art form (I learned this after being unable to cook for like a year). I am sure I will learn new and better recipes, and I will hopefully remember to share them at some point.
There are principles that guide me though- colour can be a huge thing just for making you feel like you are Making something. If bell pepper isn't for you, then it is worthwhile to turn towards tomatoes (which have various types and flavours). Also, don't be afraid to add sweet ingredients into savoury dishes for a little pizazz, like honey or even sugar. I have even cooked chicken with cocoa powder before! But there is a lot of cool stuff... the above recipe was how I really got into cooking though.
Thank you so much!!! I'll definitely try out the recipe, it sounds soooo yummy!
