Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Out Stealing Recipes

I've been living in a student hall this year, my first time ever, and it has had its ups and downs. Downs have been no real living room to socialize in (or to be able to invite people to) and a sometimes extremely messy kitchen. Ups have been being able to eavesdrop on other people's cooking, which has given me new ideas. I mean, living with Chinese, Italian, Indian, Kiwi, Ukrainian, German (etc.) people will inevitably give you some new food impulses, if only through smelling things in the kitchen you're not used to smelling or seeing things you're not used to seeing.


We all ask each other when we're curious. Just yesterday someone pointed at my barley and went, "What's that?" And I had to explain what barley is. "So kinda like rice, then?" Yeah, kinda like rice. Only more magical, if you ask me.

I've learned what goes into making Italian carbonara, and where people go to get Chinese spices in London, and all of these other little tidbits about different people's ideas around cooking, just by being around them and cooking in the same kitchen.

The recipe below is my take on one of my housemate's signature dishes. I didn't ask him for the recipe, I just went for it based on what I had seen him do a bunch of times. I hope you condone plagiarism.

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Tuna with Pasta

1 small onion
Vegetable oil
250 g mushrooms
3 Ts red wine vinegar
Fresh basil
Salt and pepper
1 can tuna, drained
4 Ts light mayonnaise
Fusilli pasta

Put the pasta on to boil in salted water. Cut the onion in half and then in strips lengthwise. Slice mushrooms into quarters.

Cook onions and mushrooms in some vegetable oil. Sprinkle over 2 Ts red wine vinegar, tear a bunch of fresh basil in, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. When mushrooms and onions are done, add tuna to warm. Remove from heat and mix in drained cooked pasta, mayonnaise, and final Ts of red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

And that's how it's done.

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