Nan’s Tomato Soup Pasta
"This recipe is still my go-to recipe when I need a hug from my Nan. So much so that when I am feeling down or under the weather, my husband just knows that all he needs to do is come home with these three ingredients". - Lauretta
This recipe is not so much a recipe, but a memory. If you were to think about what you were fed when you were lying in front of the television, sick, what would it be? For my sister and I, it was what we called ‘Nan’s tomato soup pasta’. I have asked my sister to elaborate a little more on this so I won’t ramble on about it, but I will share with you a little anecdote from our endless days spent with Nan. I have appropriately titled this, ‘Under the Table Butter’.
Under the Table Butter.
When my sister and I were younger we would spend a lot of time at our Nan’s house and whenever the phone would ring, Lauretta and I knew that Nan would be talking for a while. So, we knew we had time to sneak into the kitchen and pinch a treat. Now, I know what you’re thinking – I bet those girls snuck lollies or biscuits out of a tin. Well, you would be totally wrong. Lauretta and I would sneak into the kitchen, open the fridge as silently as two little girls could, and pull out the tub of butter. We would then sit under Nan’s kitchen table and proceed to scoop out the butter with our hands and eat it. Well of course it was inevitable that we were sprung by Nan (have you ever tried getting butter off your hands without hot soapy water? – Impossible!) so instead of rousing on us (ok, maybe she did a little), she would simply scoop out the finger poked butter, turn it upside down in the tub and return it to the fridge. To this day I have no idea why we thought this would be a good idea to eat tubs and tubs of butter but I remember it being such a treat. And for those of you wondering, our cholesterol levels were just fine!
Words from Lauretta.
If you were to describe the perfect Grandmother, one who is equal parts of loving and kind, firm but cheeky, warm and endearing, then you would be describing our Nan. She left the world almost three years ago, leaving a hole in our hearts that can never be filled. She is always missed but forever to be remembered for the perfect little Nanny that she was.
Julia and I spent countless hours and days with Nan. After school, on weekends and during the school holidays. Some children may have complained about the vast amount of time spent with their grandmother, but not Julia and I. We relished it. Twice I skipped school and rather than go to the beach or the shopping centre like others my age would do, I found my way to Nan’s where despite my unexpected arrival, a warm hug and a reassuring smile greeted me. I later found out that when Nan told me she was just ducking out to “ hang out the washing”, she was in fact, calling Mum telling her where I was!
When we were sick and unable to go to school, we went to Nanny’s. We again were greeted with a warm cuddle, as well as a bed made up in front of the television (with our favourite Punky Brewster sheets) and a cushion in the shape of a dogs head. A cold washer was never far from our forehead and our blanket was always being gently re-tucked when it came loose. No matter how dreadful we felt upon arrival at Nan’s we always felt better when we left. Our comfort food (most often the following recipe) was always cooked lovingly by Nan. It was always simple, yet the love stirred into it was a remedy in itself. The lemonade poured gently into the glass to help ease our sore throats was done so with such delicacy. She really made the simplest of tasks seem so graceful.
She was physically tiny, yet with her heart so big, every Christmas she undertook the mammoth task of shopping for gifts for everyone in the family. 7 kids, 15 grandkids and 10 great-grandkids. On top of that, she made 10 Christmas cakes and 10 bottles of homemade ‘Kahula’ (see Nan's previous recipe)
The recipe below is still to this day, my go-to recipe when I need a hug from my Nan. So much so that when I am feeling down or under the weather, my husband just knows that all he needs to do is come home with these three ingredients, and within minutes, my belly and soul will be warmed with the memories of my perfect little Nanny.
Nan’s Tomato Soup pasta
Ingredients
1 can Heinz Big Red tomato soup (don’t even think about using another brand)
Spaghetti pasta (however much you think is 1 serve - so, a lot!)
Tasty cheese (hand grated, as Nan would).
Method
Cook the pasta until soft (Nan used to do this in the microwave).
Once cooked, transfer pasta to the bowl you are serving it in and pour the tomato soup over, ensuring all pasta is covered in the thick, blood-red soup.
Grate cheese on top ensuring no man is left uncovered then stir to melt the cheese.
Viola! All of your problems have disappeared.
