Sunday, April 06, 2008

The Essential Fatty Acids

Probably the only fatty thing you're encouraged to eat more of by health experts, so listen up :) Oily fishes such as mackerel, salmon, sardines, tuna and lake trout are key sources of the good fatty acids (Omega 3) that have heart benefits since they are low in the bad fatty acids (saturated fats). And nowadays they come in tinned versions too, though its better to choose those in brine/water, which are healthier alternatives.

So if you find yourself (like me) staring at your food cupboard and fridge, twiddling your thumbs on what to eat on a weekday after work, or even what you can make out of what you have ... here's a case study haha.

I had some wholewheat pasta, fresh basil leaves (courtesy of a delayed attempt to make pizza from scratch from the weekend), some tinned chopped tomatoes, garlic, fresh bird eye chillies and a can of salmon, which translates into some good comfort food :)

First, to make the pasta sauce, saute the chopped garlic cloves till brown, then add the can of chopped tomatoes and lower the heat once its boiling. Then open up the can of salmon and gently flake them before adding it to the sauce. Try to flake them into larger chunks rather than fine ones as it adds texture to the sauce or else you find that you cant taste any of them later! If you have are using fresh salmon instead, it'd be nicer to pan fry them first before hand. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and adding a tablespoon of white wine vinegar always works wonders to enhance its flavors. Finally, add the chopped birds eye chillies (1 should be fine to bring some heat) and chopped basil leaves.

Have a taste of your pasta sauce now with the wooden spoon. If the heat is too much for you, a pinch of sugar would tone things down a bit to suit the palate. For those who prefer a thicker creamier sauce, its good to add a bit of grated cheese/soft cream cheese in to stir before serving. Here's my version served with wholewheat spaghetti, with some leftover sauce to keep for next time!

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