Day 9

Discover yet again... when I'm up against the wall, and my family wails for food, I can cook. And I'm not half bad, if I do say so myself. Sick of takeout and equally sick of going out, the husband and the children said, "Let's eat in, please..."

So I made what I have hastily christened Picnic Penne

Ingredients
garlic
onion
basil
1/2 pack of penne
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can mushrooms
2 pieces of cooked ham, chopped into bits
1 can of anchovies
1 cup red wine
Lots of grated Parmegiano Regiano

1) Set the penne to boil in water with a pinch of rock salt
2) Saute minced garlic and chopped onion in olive oil. Add in ham and brown. Add in mushrooms, basil and anchovy (drained of oil). Let all of this sweat together.
3) Drain can of stewed tomatoes and chop them up
4) Before penne is done, take it off the flame and drain in colander. Penne will seem on the underdone side, but that's intentional.
5) Mix in the stewed tomatoes and about 2/3 cup red wine
6) Season sauce with salt and pepper.
7) When penne is fully drained, dump into the sauce pan and toss under light flame.
8) Serve in pasta bowls topped with grated cheese

This is a dryer kind of pasta than is conventional, which makes it nice for packing for lunch. There's a rich flavour to it thanks to the anchovy, tomatoes and red wine.
And it takes hardly any time at all. Just chop and mix as you go along and don't rush. Every stage benefits from time in the pan...