Fried Spaghetti

Now that summer is coming to a close and the kids are returning to school, the Hackknife Commissary is once again ramping up production after a few months of relative hiatus. This recipe is another in the pile that we received from Mrs. Hackknife's cousin Glen via his old-world Italian cooking instructor. I've read in a couple of different places that some Italian restaurants pan-fry the uncooked noodles prior to boiling them, presumably to add flavor depth just like you would anything else. The prep is very simple - I monkeyed with it a bit since I had a few ingredients I was trying to use up (an extra green pepper, yellow onion in lieu of green onions, and chicken broth instead of water - hey, if the Top Chef contestants can cook everything in broth, so can I). Overall, the final dish was ok, but it could have used a little pizazz (in fact, it was better reheated at lunchtime after a couple of days spent aging in the fridge), although Mrs. Hackknife noted that the pasta tasted "more like homemade" instead of coming out of a box (I'm guessing that the frying helped). Glen wrote in his recipe that he'll sometimes add a meat (like sausage) and some additional vegetables to spice it up, so we'll try that next time.

3 Tbsp. olive oil (I used extra virgin)
2 chopped green onions
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 lb. uncooked spaghetti
1 can (14 oz.) diced Italian style tomatoes
hot red pepper flakes
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil or 1 Tbsp. dry basil
grated Parmesan cheese

In large skillet, cook onions and garlic in 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium high heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove onion and garlic from pan. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. of olive oil to pan. Break spaghetti in half and add to pan, stirring constantly until golden brown (about 5 minutes). Add tomatoes and one can of water to pan. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in reserved onion and garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, and any other optional ingredients. Cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.