And I use spaghetti here to cover/ describe the family of pasta strands – linguine, spaghettini and the others. Forgive me.
I’ve had many hits, only a few misses and I can say it makes a great alternative to rice.
Tip: use gluten-free or wholemeal pasta if you like.
I love the way the sauce coats the strands of spaghetti or linguine which I’m partial to. I like the body, the heft it gives – well matched against the spiced sauce.
For best results, cook your pasta for 3 – 5 minutes to soften, drain and then add to sauce-stock mixture once combined.
I begin by sauteeing sliced onions and green bell peppers – I love the peculiar flavour the green bell peppers add to the sauce.
Tomato puree follows and finally, the tomato stew/ sauce. I adjust the seasoning – a bit of curry powder, some dried thyme to my taste. Then I add the stock, stir to loosen and combine it all and finally, I add the par-cooked linguine in this case. You can use other pasta shapes if you like – best to par cook them too.
Using tongs – I find it easiest with them – I toss the linguine in the sauce and set the pan, covered on low heat. I check every few minutes, gently tossing the pasta in the sauce because it cooks differently from the way rice does – you could actually have pools of sauce in one area, the bottom burning and all sorts of disasters if you don’t keep watch over it.
Add more stock if you need.
When it’s cooked, serve as you like – I like sautéed greens, roast chicken and plantain. What would you like? Let me know and I will share recipes if possible.
Third in our series? A seafood Jollof that’s part Paella, part Jollof and altogether delicious. Wait for it – read about Acha Jollof for completeness xxx
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