Kitchen Cupboard Dinner

So.... it was one of those nights. You know when you are hungry for something good and healthy to eat, but you are tired and you didn't do a shop, so the fridge is looking pretty sparse.

Before I was tempted to pick up the phone and dial my nearest stand-by restaurant for a delivery, I decided I should take a tour of my pantry and use my creativity to fashion a meal out of whatever was already here. Suddenly, it became a challenge and I was determined to make this work!

Here's what I found:

a can of tuna (packed in water)
a can of artichoke hearts
a bag of rice pasta
a can of plum tomatoes
a jar of capers
a box of chicken stock
garlic
shallots
Dried herbs



So, with my ingredients above, I proceeded to churn out fairly quickly, a yummy little meal without too much fuss. It was fairly easy: just sauteed the garlic and shallot in a splash of olive oil, then added the tuna, breaking it up a bit with the spoon, added the drained can of artichoke hearts (the whole can after slicing them in half), about half the can of the tomatoes that I chopped, a couple of teaspoons of the capers, drained, and a sprinkle of basil and oregano for that true Mediterranean flavor I was going for. A half cup or so of the chicken stock and I was in business. Some salt and pepper to taste, of course. Just a matter of cooking the pasta for the grand finale. I happened to have some fresh parsley so I added a little for some extra color and Voilà!

Just what I needed to perk me up on a busy weekday night after a busy day at the office!