Sama has been cooking her whole life, but only started doing it professionally two years ago. The main reason she got into cooking was because she believes that food is what brings all cultures together.
Taking courses, reading books, and watching videos online, Sama managed to advance her skills and techniques. What helped her the most was having passion and love for cooking and a drive to continue to learn new things every day.
Sama appreciates that Saudi cuisine has evolved, and that we’ve seen much creativity in the local food scene. With that in mind, she picked the penne matazeez to merge traditional Saudi cuisine with the European one, using pasta rather than the usual dough – inadvertently cutting down on time spent making the dish. Not only is the dish practical, it is also just as delicious as the original one that inspired it.
½ kilo of meat without the bone, cut into cubes
1 pack of Goody wheat penne pasta
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 mashed garlic cloves
4 tbsp of olive oil
1 big piece of potato, carrot, and zucchini, cut into cubes
1 dried lemon
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
Green or red spicy pepper
2 tsp of each cumin and coriander
½ tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of sugar
6 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
In a saucepan, place olive oil, onions, and spices, and stir until onions are cooked. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the chopped meat and sugar, and stir until meat turns brown. Next, add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and pepper, and stir for 5 minutes. Add in the broth and leave to boil for 30 minutes. Next, place the vegetables in the mixture and leave for 15 minutes until well cooked, then place in the penne pasta. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Tip:
If you are always using vegetables in your dishes, cut them up and place in the freezer to preserve freshness. You can do this with garlic and onions in large quantities to save time prepping meals.
