Puglian One Pot Pasta (and quick fajitas for lunch!)

20 April 2025  (Easter Sunday)

Up first again… it’s funny that we each go through periods of being up first, and each period can last a few days or even longer, then for no reason it switches round.  

After breakfast, I was down to the plot to potter and tidy, doing this, that and the other.  One job I did get done was sorting out the bench by the potatoes in the raised bed, on the poly side of the plot.  It’s needed sorting for ages, and weeding underneath, and now that job is fully done… Yay!!  In truth, I’d been putting it off, though like many things that we put off it turned out to be a relatively easy and enjoyable job… a ‘satisfaction guaranteed’ type of job!

There were a few chats with fellow plotters, as there so often is, though clearly we were all like minded and wanted to get on with stuff as the chats, though welcome, also didn't last too long!  Yay again!!  

By the time I got back home, tossing a few broken pots into the recycling bin before putting my key in the front door, I realised I felt a tad hungry.

I’d taken out some Cauldron marinated tofu from the freezer this morning, with no real thought of what I’d use it for… and on a whim as I came through the door decided I’d do some quick fajitas.

I popped some oil in a frying pan and gently fried the marinated tofu pieces with a little olive oil and a small amount of homemade fajita mix.  Whilst these were cooking, I washed and span dry some lettuce, took out leftover coleslaw and a tub of yogurt from the fridge, sliced some cheddar thinly, and microwaved four wraps - as I say each time, I do this just so that they're a bit more pliable.

On each wrap I spread across the middle a tablespoon of yogurt, then placed on some lettuce, a little cheddar, the coleslaw, then spooned on top some hot fajita spiced marinated tofu, rolling and wrapping the wraps tightly so that nothing dropped out.  I always leave one end open for easier eating… an one-open-end wrap rather than a burrito!  

Richard had Hart to Hart ready to go on our TV, with an episode called ‘Harts and Hounds’… we watched and we ate, and the quick fajitas went down a treat, with Richard saying “I needed that” after he’d eaten them.

After lunch Richard watched Vivi’s latest upload, the one where she's unpacked most of her boxes following her move, and I listened in whilst typing up my blog.  We’ll be sorting some time soon to go down and see Vivi and her new pad, or her Cottage by the Sea as it now is.

For our meal I wanted to adapt an old Puglia recipe for one pot pasta, and Richard suggested I do as he did and record it as a throw together… well, it didn’t happen as I got in such a state with camera angles, our little tripod falling over, not finding a setting on my phone that Richard suggested I use… so I just got on and made it - much less stressful that way.  Maybe the camera will come out next time!

The cuttings bench tidied and weeded fully underneath.

Almost at the end of the cooking time, with the spaghetti almost al dente.

Puglia Inspired One Pot Spaghetti

There are many one pot pasta recipes doing the rounds, many a copy of the Martha Stewart one from ten years ago, which itself was inspired by a dish from Puglia.  I’ve been inspired to experiment with a winter Puglia recipe that uses bottled tomatoes and tomato puree, and I’ve swapped out the bottled tomatoes for a tin.

Ingredients
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 Large onion, Sliced
4 Cloves Garlic, chopped
2 tbsp Tomato puree
400g Tinned tomatoes
1 tsp Mediterranean Herbs
2 tsp Marigold bouillon powder, or stock cube
850ml Water
300 g Spaghetti
75g Cream Cheese (optional)
Salt & Freshly ground black pepper

Method
Grab a large saute pan that’s big enough to fit the spaghetti laid flat on the bottom, and preferably at least four inches deep as this can splosh!  If you’ve put the spaghetti into the pan, take it out as it doesn’t go in yet!

Heat the olive oil in the pan and add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon or spatula.  Add the tomato puree and cook through for two minutes, stirring regularly.  Now add the tinned tomatoes and herbs - I used a serrated knife in the can to chop them up a bit, though you can break them up in the pan with your spoon, or use tinned chopped tomatoes.

Now sprinkle in the bouillon powder (or crumble in the stock cube).  If you have your own vegetable stock do use it instead of the water and bouillon/stock cube, and add salt to taste (to compensate for the salt that would be in the bouillon/stock cube).  Stir all together, and then add the spaghetti gently into the pan and bring it all to a gentle simmer.

Using your spoon, nudge the spaghetti to ensure it does not clump.  After a minute or two it will start softening and from this point regularly nudge and stir the spaghetti around the pan.  As the spaghetti cooks it gets easier to move it around, though do be careful as it can splosh!

After six minutes the spaghetti should be cooked al dente - take a strand out with a fork and check it for bite.  If it needs a little further cooking, do so though keep an eye on it.

If using the cream cheese, just before serving stir this through off the heat.

Make sure you have warm serving plates (4 if with a side salad, two if you’re hungry!), portion out and top with a twist of black pepper.  If you wish and you’ve not used the cream cheese add a grating of parmesan cheese or other hard cheese.

When I made this tonight I used three tablespoons of tomato puree, though I found that too much so cut it back to two.  I also used cream cheese though I’ll do it again without, as I do like a sprinkling of cheese on top.

If you wanted to add a chopped carrot and a couple of diced celery stalks when you add your onions that would work I’m sure, and I think I will have a go doing this next time, and another time with mushrooms too.

Just a note - when you cook pasta in water, drain and add a sauce you are removing a good bit of starch from the final dish, which does not happen with this type of one pot pasta dish.


Weather:  Bright start, though late morning it became overcast and felt much cooler for the rest of the day.

Breakfast:  Lidl Rye Bread as toast, Flora Pro-Activ Buttery spread, yeast extract and peanut butter
Lunch:  Quorn marinated tofu with homemade fajita mix, wraps, yogurt, lettuce, very thinly sliced cheese, and coleslaw
Supper:  One Pot Tomato Pasta (inspired by an old recipe from Puglia)