Dinner in a pinch

On Saturday night I made marinara sauce to serve over a heap of spaghetti, and luckily had enough of the sauce left over for one or two more meals. Not enough to freeze, but I definitely didn't want to waste it.



My initial thinking was that I'd thin it with some chicken stock and make a rich and chunky tomato soup, adding some fresh basil and toasted bread cubes for texture. But as Sunday wore on I was feeling less and less like soup and was once again craving pasta! Rather than noodles though I craved ravioli. But there was no way I was making my own -- not enough time, unfortunately -- so I bought a package of fresh, pre-made spinach-and-cheese-filled ravioli from the store.

For some added nutritional value I blanched some chopped broccoli rabe (my new favourite veg) to mix in with the pasta and sauce.

I'm finding with pasta dishes -- and indeed just about everything I cook -- it's all about the final flourish. Whether that's one last squeeze of lemon, some chopped parsley sprinkled over top, or in this case a grinding of black pepper, some freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a swirl of fruity extra virgin olive oil.

It may not be fancy, but it tasted great to me. And I still have more sauce left -- maybe I'll be making the tomato soup yet!

Salut!

Suzanne

Email your comments to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com