The secret to building a successful blog following, they say, is to post consistently and frequently on the same subject. As regular readers know, I take about as much notice of that as I do of the darts results, so here is a subject I’m not sure I have ever covered before: a recipe!
I’m not much of a cook. I mean, I can cook, but I only do it because I can’t afford my own private chef. (I am an excellent and enthusiastic baker, though.) This is one reason why I didn’t have a problem renting a flat with a kitchen the size of a special-edition postage stamp.
This recipe is pretty good for people who don’t like cooking, as it takes very little time, effort or ingredients, but the main reason I thought I would tell you about this fallback meal is that, while it’s well known in Albania, most people in the UK have never heard of the yumminess that is fried spaghetti.
Fried spaghetti?? Yes. I grant you it sounds weird, but you have to try it first. Just as fried rice is different from (and nicer than) boiled, so it is with spaghetti. It’s nice on its own and delicious with lots of grated cheese. You can even add greens if you feel guilty about having an entire plate of carbs. So here’s how you do it:
- 1. Melt some butter in a frying pan. (You can substitute oil but butter tastes nicer.)
- 2. Take some spaghetti, probably about 100g per person, but more if you’re hungry. Snap the lengths into three or four pieces and dodge the bits that fly off.
- 3. Fry the spaghetti, stirring frequently, until some of it turns brown and other bits go sort of weird and speckly. Meanwhile, boil some water.
- 4. Pour boiling water into the hot frying pan, against your best instincts, until the spaghetti is well covered. Add a large pinch of salt. Chuck in the greens at this point if you like. In the picture I am using kale that I stole from the guinea pigs I was pig-sitting.
- 5. Simmer for a few minutes (8-10? I never time it.) until all the water is gone and the pasta is soft. Add more boiling water if the pasta isn’t soft at this point.
- 6. Tip the greasy, salty pasta onto a plate (no need to drain if you’ve done it right), grate over any hard cheese you have in the fridge and grind some black pepper. Or add nothing at all, if it’s easier. Then scoff it while it’s hot.
I tend to add more cheese as I eat, until I have consumed a disturbing quantity of it, but that’s not recommended if you’re watching your weight.
If this is popular maybe I’ll add another can’t-be-bothered recipe. But I’ll still basically be blogging about my writing career, Christian culture, ancient history, pets, stuff I’ve been up to and whatever other randomness takes my fancy. Because there are more important things in life than building a successful blog following.
K C Murdarasi 
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