Day One Hundred and Sixty Nine - Darren's Pasta

Dear all,

Darren is a culinary master. I have been starting to 'fill' up the fridge with various items, all important [of course] but some [buttermilk, jalapeno infused havarti cheese, guava juice] are not necessarily things that we use every day and are causing the fridge to 'explode'.

Darren went in like a steam train pulling out items like he was doing a new type of tribal 'fridge' dance. The next thing I knew, he had opened a carton of plum tomatoes, and added them to some garlic he was frying up. In a second pan he browned left over onions, jalapenos and peppers and after they had caramelized, he added them to the bubbling tomato broth.

He boiled up a ton of penne in another bowl and after 15 minutes or so, when they were cooked to al dente perfection, he poured a good dollop of the sauce over the pasta ands we were good to go. The flavours were fantastic! I went for a second helping, it was an awesome meal, tasting like a meal you would get in a Tuscan family home for Sunday evening dinner. D is amazing.

And in other news:

1. A snapshot from a couple of days a go but I couldn't resist. Benj on the tube!

2. Another brilliant find by D - seasoned smoked salmon; great for a snack and so tasty!