Lee Burns’ Tuna Pasta
YOU know your recipe is a winner when you’re able to change people’s minds about food after they eat it.
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Lee Burns’ recipe for tuna pasta has done exactly that.
It’s an incredibly simple dish – only nine ingredients.
You could use even less if you wanted to.
Mrs Burns has been cooking this recipe in various forms since her kids were young, and it remains a firm family favourite – a staple dish that can put a smile on the face of anyone who tastes it.
“It’s quick and easy, and my kids love it,” she said.
“I’ve made it since they were little kids, and even people who don’t like tuna love it.
“The first time the kids tasted this recipe they loved it because it;s very flavoursome – it;s got tomato paste, cream, pepper, all sorts of things in it.
“I add a little bot of sweet paprika to it – I find that it adds a little bit of depth to it.
“It’s got some pineapple in there to add a touch of sweetness as well.
“You’ve got a bit of sweet, a bit of sour in there, just plenty of depth overall.
“I can’t exactly remember where I found the recipe initially, although I know I found it in a magazine somewhere.
“Over the years I’ve just adapted it to suit me.”
The strength of the dish lies in its simplicity – it can be easily altered to suit anybody’s tastes.
One of the other keys to Mrs Burns cooking in general is the use of her vegetable garden.
“Sometimes I’ll do something like a moussaka, a bit of Greek or Asian food,” she said.
“I like to do a lot of Jamie Oliver recipes.
“The healthiness of it is something that really appeals to me.
“We eat reasonably healthy food in general because I have my own little vegetable garden in the backyard.
“I grow a lot of my own herbs, lettuce and tomatoes.
“You appreciate using your own ingredients a fair bit more, and I find the taste is a lot better.
“The tomatoes tend to be a little bit sweeter, the lettuce is crisper and has better flavour.
“I’ve been growing my own stuff for about three years now – I’d always wanted to.
“A few years ago at Christmas my husband Darren decided he was going to make me some veggie boxes.
“It’s quite nice, you get all the natural bees in the garden, the boxes add a bit of a different dimension.”
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