Well, yesterday I was at my favourite cafe in Mosman (of course), this time with my friend Anne and her daughter Lizzie and Lizzie's friend Clare. And who else was there, having a smoked salmon bagel for lunch? Justine from Master Chef. Anne and I were the only ones blissfully unaware of her presence but everyone else knew. And my celebrity spotting didn't stop there! Later in the afternoon I was in a consignment shop in Crows Nest disposing of a handbag that is much loved but damaging my shoulder with its weight and who should walk in but Fairy Sparkle http://www.fairysparkle.com/. She was all done up in her fairy gear - I'm guessing she had some time to spare in between parties.
What an exciting day.
Today's recipe is one of those wonderful things to have at the end of the week when you are feeling tired and in need of comfort. Mum used to feed us bowls of spaghetti with tomato sauce and cheese when we were little, and although I use slightly better quality ingredients these days, the effect is just as warming and comforting. This version comes from a wonderful book, The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces, by Diane Seed.
Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx
Spaghetti Vesuvio
Serves four
What you need:
- 500g spaghetti or linguini, preferably fresh
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 x 400g tins of Italian plum tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Sea salt
- A generous half cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 200g fresh mozzarella balls, diced
What you do:
- Warm the oil and add the tomatoes with their juice, squashing them in the pan with a fork.
- Add the oregano and salt to taste and cook rapidly for 20 minutes.
- While the sauce is cooking, put the water on to boil for the pasta then cook.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add the Parmesan, the tomato sauce and the mozzarella.
- Toss the pasta and sauce, then cover and leave for about 3 minutes so that the mozzarella begins to melt and looks like streams of molten lava. Serve hot.
