Penne Pasta with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

We were in the mood for some tasty pasta after an afternoon spent in the park. This dish took 10 minutes to make and was really rather tasty...mild, unassuming but tasty. The basic sauce...condensed milk, paprika and tomato puree goes very well with mushrooms but this sauce would work just as well on its own and very well with chicken. There was enough for 6 adults so some has been put aside in the fridge for a snack on another day. The cost for the entire pasta including a contribution towards the paprika and butter etc. plus half packet penne is £2.90 so that's approx. 48 pence per adult person. Not bad at all!

Penne Pasta or pasta of choice
Parmesan Cheese
Vegetable Oil (Tablespoon)
Knob Butter
1 Onion, chopped
350g Mushrooms, selection, to taste, sliced
1 teaspoon Paprika
2 tablespoons Tomato Puree
250ml/8 fl oz Evaporated Milk
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Cook pasta as per instructions.
Gently fry onions for a few minutes in oil and butter, then add mushrooms. Cook over a low heat until soft.

In a measuring jug, measure out the milk and add the tomato puree and paprika. Mix well. Add to mushroom mix. Season to taste and let it simmer, stirring every minute or so, for five minutes. Add to cooked pasta and serve with freshly grated parmesan.

Pasta!

I have occasionally bought cold pasta from the supermarket which tastes like feet and doesn't last long so I decided to come up with my own. I wanted a dish that was lovely whilst hot but just as good cold. This is the best so far.

250g Penne Pasta
1 roll soft goats cheese (packet from Asda)
Rind and juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons of olive oil
4 tablespoons (or more) of grated parmesan
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed to use, stalks discarded

Cook the penne as per instructions. Drain and add all of the above ingredients; use only half of the goats cheese though, chopped up. Mix all the ingredients through and then crumble over the remaining goats cheese, some extra parmesan and a grinding of salt and pepper.