In Praise of Pasta

I really don't know what any of us would do without pasta. It's so quick and easy to cook and so versatile. So many possibilities - there are too many sauces to ever get bored - I can't imagine how I'd manage to feed the children without it, sometimes. One of their favourite lunches is pasta tossed with a little butter and grated cheese. I buy quick-cook fusilli especially for lunches and that way it doesn't take much longer to make than a sandwich. Pasta suppers are a tiny bit more involved than that, but not much. This sauce, like so many others, is ready in the time it takes the pasta to boil. If you've got some garlic-infused olive oil, use that instead of flavouring tbe oil yourself. I've run out, so I took the long way round.

Tuna and Tomato Pasta

200g pasta
2 cloves garlic, squashed with a knife
2 tbsp olive oil
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
400g can chopped tomatoes
185g can tuna in spring water, drained

Cook the pasta. Meanwhile, heat the oil and garlic together until the oil is fragrant and the garlic just beginning to brown. Sccop out the garlic with a slotted spoon and discard. Fry the diced celery until soft, then add the tomatoes. Cook briefly to heat through, then flake in the tuna. Stir the sauce very gently to avoid breaking up the fish too much. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the water, then toss in the sauce, adding a splash of the pasta water to bring it all together nicely. Serve with a green salad.