Cooking for the Small Kitchen: Fresh Tomato Cream Penne

I'm sure many of you are in my exact situation: you have little to no space to cook in your small kitchen and do not own much material either. Maybe you are unlucky enough not to have an oven, just like me. In fact, most kitchen in South East Asia do not include them. Heck, I don't even have an actual stove! But this does not stop us from cooking most days of the week. I love my home-cooked meals, be them mine or (especially) the bf's. I've done some research online to see what other people are doing to make the most out of their tiny kitchens. And I found interesting ideas, which inspired me to share some of my recipes or tricks with you. 

1. These pictures are not my best work, but bear with me as this is a learning process! :)

2. I do realize that the plates that came with the apartment are not the prettiest to photograph, but they will do for now. 

INGREDIENTS (for TWO): 

- 200 g of pasta 

- 3 big tomatoes

- Olive oil

- 2 garlic cloves

- 4 tablespoons of fresh cooking cream (or 15%)

- Ground nutmeg

- Salt

- Black peppercorns

- Parmiggiano Reggiano

This first recipe is very, very simple. And only requires a stove, a pot and a pan. I own an individual electric stove, as well as an induction cooker I use mostly to boil water or make stir-fries. I am a definite pasta lover, and this recipe adds just a little touch of special to your basic weekday penne dishes. 

Take a few fresh ripe tomatoes. Bring water to a boil, and put them in. Let them soak in the boiling water for a few minutes and carefully remove. Rinse them under cool water and peel off the skin. You'll see: it will come off like a charm! Them chop them into cubes. Let them simmer in a pan with olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic cut in half. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Taste. If your tomatoes are too acidic, put in a few pinches of sugar and mix. I often have this problem here is Asia, the tomatoes always seem to be way too acid to make a sauce. This little trick will cancel out the acid taste and make everything smoother. Add a few tablespoons of fresh cream (or 15%).  Or don't. I did, just to make something different from the usual.

Bring water to a boil, put in copious amounts of salt (sea salt is always better) and throw the pasta in. Follow the package instructions for the pasta. When ready, drain the pasta well and put it in the pan. Mix it in the sauce until everything is coated evenly. Distribute in the plates. Sprinkle ground nutmeg, more fresh black pepper and fine scales of Parmiggiano Reggiano. That's it! 

Photos by Dee & Duke (unfortunately).