Kitchens of UCL: welcome, have some pasta
Pi Media columnist Eleanor Smith invites you for a globe-round culinary journey through UCL students’ kitchens.
Image: Flickr
My very first memories are associated with food. Standing on a step-stool to help my mum make brownies or sitting on the stairs in my grandparents’ kitchen, watching my grandfather make blintz filling and my grandmother make the wrappers. The smell of onions, carrot and celery sweating in olive oil on the stove always makes me think of Saturday mornings when my mum would start to make Bolognese.
When I learned to read, I would flip through cookbooks, look at the pictures and imagine what the recipes would taste like. Now my favourite recipe books are those which document not only the recipes, but the stories behind them. Good food has a story to tell.
Everyone has family recipes, things only their grandmother can make right or the spice mix your grandfather will take to the grave. These are treasured. Then, there’s the food we make for ourselves. What we eat when no-one is looking or when we’re having an awful week. And lastly, there are the things we make for others to show our love.
Food is my love language. When I came to university I realised not everyone could look at a recipe and see what I did. Many were intimidated and cooking was an inconvenience, rather than a joyful ritual. This saddened me, as the best way I knew to build community was through food.
I want to help others love food as I do. To make sure that looking at a recipe evokes excitement not fear. To enable everyone to cook for friends and family and communicate through food.
I can’t cook for my friends right now. The days of standing in a kitchen and preparing a meal to enjoy together are gone, for a little while, but I can cook for all of you. I invite you into my kitchen to talk about what we’re cooking and maybe bring some friends along. I hope this column can become a space to make friends and share stories. Ask me how to cook stuff, give me a challenge, send me your best student recipes, or use mine and tell me what you think. This is a safe, welcoming space, come join me through this spectacular journey that is the kitchens of UCL.
We’ll start with something simple, using ingredients that are cheap and you may already have in your cupboard - the quintessential student dish, pasta. There are few things better on a gloomy day than a big bowl of pasta. This is my most basic tomato pasta recipe. It’s infinitely adaptable and I’ve given some suggestions at the bottom for how you can make it your own. Enjoy!
Tomato Pasta adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi
Two servings
Approx. 45mins
Ingredients:
1 tbsp of vegetable oil (olive oil if you’re fancy)
Salt and pepper
5 cloves of garlic
2 mild dried chillies, or dried chilli flakes to taste (I used ½ tsp)
400g tinned tomatoes
½ tsp dried oregano or thyme
½ tsp sugar or ¼ tsp honey
200g pasta shape of your choice (I like spaghetti or linguine, it works really well with the sauce)
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and once hot, add the garlic and chilli and fry until the garlic turns golden. Add the tomatoes, dried herbs and sweetener of your choice along with a good pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper. If you are using whole, peeled plum tomatoes, mash them up with your spoon. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and jammy. If you drag the spoon across the pan and it leaves a channel, it’s ready. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed. Keep it warm.
Boil a pot of water and salt it heavily before adding the pasta. Cook until al dente, and then reserve some of the pasta water and drain. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat, adding the saved pasta water a little at a time if the sauce is too thick.
Transfer the pasta to a bowl, or eat it out of the pan. Top with cheese and/or fresh herbs, like basil. Add sautéed mushrooms, aubergine, chicken, sausages or any add-ins you think will work with the sauce.
The sauce can be refrigerated for two days or frozen for two to three months.
This article was published as part of the Kitchens of UCL series, written by Pi Media columnists Nadia Freeman and Eleanor Smith.