Kids' Pasta

What makes this a kids' dish is just the fact that a couple of wild horses held me back from throwing in a chilli or two and turning it into an arrabiata! I added no salt as the stock is salty, and blended some of the sauce for a creamy backdrop to the remaining chunks of tomato, peppers and carrot. Feel free to blend the lot for kids who fuss about vegetables, or leave it chunky for the whole family.

• 3 tomatoes, scalded a minute in boiling water, skinned and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 red pepper, cut into little squares
• 1 small carrot, grated
• stock, chicken or vegetable, as needed
• 1 tbsp raisins (if the tomatoes aren't sweet)
• balsamic vinegar, dash of
• 1-2 tbsp tomato paste

1. Cook the onions in about 2 tbsp olive oil till translucent, add garlic
2. When the garlic is fragrant but not brown, add the red pepper and grated carrot
3. Saute a few minutes till the peppers soften
4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, raisins if using (some tomatoes from the supermarket can be pretty tasteless, even on the vine!)
5. Add a dash of balsamic vinegar, check the seasoning, add more stock if needed
6. The dish doesn't take long. When the tomatoes soften and the carrots are done, whizz 2/3 of the sauce in a blender, then return that to a bowl or container along with the non-blended sauce. Voila, you're done!
7. Serve on top of pasta with a good grate of parmesan!