By Laura Holland
When it comes to putting supper on the table, there is no point in reinventing the wheel. These days, when we are all pressed for time and money, it really pays to pull out the classic meals from our own childhoods.
Here is a fail-safe blast from the past: fish cakes and spaghetti (see also here). My parents loved this as kids, my husband and I loved it, and now it is a hit in my home, too. It is cheap, delicious, and quickly made from stuff already in your pantry.
My dad used to make a great sauce for the pasta with canned stewed tomatoes, onions, oil, and—wait for it—ketchup! It sounds so tacky, but it was just so good.
First, you fry the onions in oil until golden brown. Now you add a big squoosh of ketchup and cook the ketchup with the oil and onions really well. This is actually the most critical, flavor-enhancing step. After a minute or so of this, add in the stewed tomatoes and simmer the sauce for a few minutes. This makes a very tangy sauce.
While you are at it, go ahead and make extra pasta. You can turn the leftovers into another comfort-food classic: spaghetti pie.
There are innumerable recipes for this all-time favorite, ranging from the austerely basic to over-the-top extravaganzas. The simplest version consists of leftover sauced spaghetti, mixed with egg and cheese, and baked in a round pan.
Slightly more elaborate versions are layered like lasagna. The most extravagant versions have ground beef or chicken or even canned tuna mixed in.
My favorite comes from the March 2006 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine. This version consists of a layer of spaghetti—mixed with eggs, Parmesan and ricotta—topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella and Romano.
It is missing from the Good Housekeeping website. Oh, well. Recipezaar to the rescue. Barbara Robbins contributed it to GH, so, thanks Barbara and Recipezaar!
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