A Marvelous One Pot Wonder.

They say that necessity is the mother of all invention.  Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say I was in great need of more food to fill my refrigerator, but with my off the wall work schedule, it doesn't hurt to have something tasty and hearty waiting in the wings.
This was merely another one of my attempts to use various ingredients at my disposal and free up a little room in the pantry.  What it turned into was a keeper recipe that was great to have on those late work nights this week.
The Goods
-2 cups whole wheat elbow macaroni (seems to go farther than spaghetti)
-1 leek, cleaned and chopped
-1/4 sweet onion, sliced thinly
-2 cloves garlic, chopped
-1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
-3 Tbs. olive oil for sautéing
-2 Belgium endives, chopped
-1/4 to 1/2 cup crushed walnuts, pignoli nuts, or sliced almonds
-1 can tuna with liquid
-1 can sardines in mustard
-salt and pepper to taste
-3 to 4 oz. Jarlesberg cheese, grated

The Game Plan
-Bring water to a boil and salt it.  The salt will cause it to stop boiling, so wait until it returns to a boil and add the pasta. Stir it at first so the noodles do not stick to the bottom.
-Bring the olive oil to heat in a large skillet or pan. Sauté all ingredients except tuna and sardines until softened.  Once the vegetables have "sweated" a little, add the nuts and continue to let the mix cook.
-After the mixture has become softer, add the tuna and tuna liquid, as well as the sardines.  You will have to slice the sardines open length wise and remove the spinal bone.  Scrape the fillet with a knife to remove the smaller rib bones. Chop the sardines and add them to the pan.
-Once the noodles have become "al dente" or soft to the teeth, drain the pasta and add the noodles to the vegetables.  Add a bit of the pasta water and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
-Toss the mixture and add in the Jarlesberg cheese.
-Serve immediately

There is a lot of flavor that goes into this pasta concoction, so there is no need to douse it in sauces.  You can finish it with a bit of olive oil if you like.

I find this an easy way to explore flavors by just tossing things in until you like the flavor. Creativity is the key and variety is the spice of life.

This recipe makes enough to feed probably between 4-6 people depending on how big of eaters they are.  And of course, a nice crusted bread with butter is always a welcome accompaniment.

Thanks for reading and wishing you best eating,
Bon Appétit!