With a tub of cream about to go off and some chorizo crying out to be used, I thought what could be more delicious on a Monday night than a big pot of spicy & creamy tomato penne pasta? For all you ‘one-pot’ fiends out there, other than cooking the pasta in a separate saucepan, it is all thrown into the one dish to simmer away and I’ve done you a favour with a just a flash of chopping – it is a very quick supper. If you have never cooked anything in your life, you can’t go wrong with this. It would be hard not to be tasty with chorizo, cream, chilli and cheese taking centre stage.
Penne with Tomatoes, Chorizo and Cream
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 450g penne
- 6-8oz (175-225g) Chorizo
- 25g butter
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tins (400g/14oz tin) tomatoes, chopped
- salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar
- pinch of crushed chillies
- 175ml cream
- 2 tablespoons flat parsley, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Method
- Melt the butter in a large sauteĢ pan, add the chopped rosemary and diced tomatoes. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar. Cook until the tomatoes have just begun to soften into a sauce, about 5 minutes approx.
- Meanwhile cook your pasta by boiling in a large pot of heavily salted water. (Think about 1 tablespoon salt to 4 pints water).
- Peel the casing off the Chorizo if necessary and then half or quarter each round depending on size. Add to the pan with the crushed chillies. Add the cream and chopped parsley, cook, stirring frequently until the cream comes to the boil. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
- When the pasta is cooked (it should be ‘al dente’), drain and toss with the sauce, add the grated Parmesan. Toss again, check the seasoning. Sprinkle with flat parsley and serve at once.
Tip of the day! Keep some of the cooking water from the pasta. It can be useful to splash a few tablespoons into the dish as it helps the sauce stick!
P.S. If this dish doesn’t scream heavenly then may I quietly suggest you aren’t using the best ingredients.
catherine allen 