Pasta with Caramelised Onion

I was at a friend's place for lunch the other day. Her meals are always simple, and yet incredibly delicious. So delicious in fact, that she has been told that it would be intimidating to cook for her. I don't see that, myself. As anyone who cooks in their own home knows, a meal you don't have to cook yourself is often the best one you'll have all week no matter what the meal is! This friend is no different.

In any case, we got together for lunch. I offered to make lunch for the kids ~ a couple of platters of very yummy looking sandwiches...apart from the one vegemite one, for little Mr 6yo (blech!). The sandwiches were very colourful when cut into quartered triangles:

• egg and lettuce
• ham, cheese, tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise
• salami, avocado, tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise

The children breathed in and their lunch was gone.

For the two of us, my friend made a beautiful warm pasta salad type of meal.

Pasta with Caramelised Onion

olive oil
1/2 red onion
fresh thyme
1 garlic clove, crushed
zest of 1 lemon
crumbled feta
cooked pasta

1. Thinly slice half a red onion, crush the garlic and zest the lemon. Have all the other ingredients at the ready.
2. Heat some olive oil and saute the onion and thyme sprigs until the onion has caramelised.
3. Whilst the onion is cooking, boil the pasta according to package directions.
   
4. Once the onion has reached a lovely golden colour, remove the pan from the heat and add the pasta, garlic and lemon zest and toss so that the ingredients are evenly distributed and the pasta has been coated in olive oil. You made need to add a drizzle more oil.
5. Serve the pasta into bowls and top with crumbled feta and serve immediately.
   

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A couple of you commented yesterday, that there is a connection between wealth, education and health. Unfortunately, when we look around, it is quite obvious that this is the case. I find this to be an incredibly sad state of affairs. When healthy nutrition is important to a person, they can educate themselves and eat very well even on the strictest budget. You don't need a university degree to read! Personally, I did a lot of reading via the local public library ~ which is free. If you read widely enough, you soon learn to be discerning, as not all that is written is necessarily accurate or helpful.

Even in the years when we had very little, financially, we managed to eat well. I never (and still don't) bought organic ingredients. As much as the idea might be appealing, it is simply not a cost effective way for a family on a strict budget to eat. It is still possible though, to buy fresh food and make great meals.

Perhaps Centrelink needs to inform their clients that good nutrition is possible on a tight budget! You just have to want to do it.