Ómós Digest #156: Spaghettino that keeps me sane
A recipe to find solace in. Written by Cúán Greene.
Hello,
As I am going on holiday, this week is the last newsletter until October. I feel a responsibility to you all, so taking a break from writing does feel counterintuitive. However, a two-week trip to Japan, a country I have dreamt about visiting my whole adult life, will no doubt provide me with ample learnings to only improve the quality of my work, as well as some much-needed R&R. For now, here’s a piece about a dish I make when my will to cook has exasperated, my time is sparse, and my bank account is diminutive.
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I hope you enjoy it,
Cúán.
Finding solace in spaghettino
Whoever said planning a restaurant opening, a wedding and a trip to Japan simultaneously would prove challenging? Well, everyone did. Those who have been to Japan did. The restaurant owners did. And surely, the brides weighed in. I simply chose to ignore everyone’s advice. Ignorantly. I sometimes consider myself a glorified party planner. No logistical headache is too large. No challenge is too great. Nothing an Excel spreadsheet can’t conquer, or so I thought… The truth is, planning all three at the same time is like a logistical conveyor belt, not helped by Japan being one of the most tech-advanced countries in the world, with one of the hardest web networks I’ve ever had to navigate. That, and the fact that Tokyo has over 5000 sushi restaurants, 30,000 bars to choose from, and an adversity to speaking English. So on the eve of my travels, when the aspiration to arrive in Tokyo and dine on as much delectable food as my body will conceivably allow me to, I realise that dinner beckons… With no will to cook and no appetite to spend, but rather an underlying desire to eat wholesomely and feel nourished, I find myself returning to what is fast becoming a bi-monthly rotation: the weirdly simple, ever-so-delicious and somewhat-sustainable spaghettino with canned mackerel and Sicilian oregano.
Not convinced? I wasn't either the first time I peeled back the aluminium seal of the mackerel tin, hesitantly tipping its contents into a pan of spitting tomato sauce. At the time I just wanted some additional meatyness, and this tin of tomato-enrobed fish was what I had at hand. It’s one of those dishes that just came to be. The sweetness of the tomatoes, the richness and roundness of the fish and olive oil, and the aromatic notes stemming from a good scrunching of dried oregano come together to make something more than the sum of its parts. I can’t recommend it enough. Of course, if you’re weirded out by mackerel, you can use another canned fish, or even a soft cheese like fior di latte or mozzarella, but I find mackerel to be a more affordable and sustainable option that I trust more than generic tinned tuna. Unashamedly, when I make this dish, I get most of my ingredients at Tesco. I don’t really shop at Tesco, but they stock mackerel in tomato sauce for about a euro a can, and so convenience outweighs the drab shopping experience.
