Suzanne Mokhtar gives us her extra-special recipe for Spaghetti Pomodoro, inspired by her 6 year old son’s love of the dish.
Ingredients: 
500g spaghetti
500ml extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
500g fresh/tinned cherry tomatoes
Seasoning:
Italian mixed dried herbs
Salt and pepper, to taste
To Finish:
100g Parmigiano-Reggian
Fresh basil
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Preparation:
Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.
Drain pasta and set aside
In a saucepan, sweat the tomatoes in the olive oil with the garlic until the tomatoes are slightly soft, approximately 4-5 minutes
Add in the pasta, give it a stir then sprinkle over the Italian mixed herbs
Serve with grated Parmigiano, fresh basil sprigs and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
The Inspiration:
One morning Yassin asked his mama before leaving to school, “Mama, please I don’t cook dinner tonight as I will be cooking you my favorite pasta.” Later that evening, his mama found that, because of all the times he had intently monitored her cooking his favorite pasta, he could do it on his own in only 25 minutes from start to finish. Yassin said to her, “Mama, please put some music on.” He put his apron and chef’s hat on, washed his hands and asked her to stay away and allow him space to cook without giving him any instructions.
Here’s how Yassin cooked the pasta:
To make it easier and save time, he crushed the tomatoes together then added them to the pasta. In a saucepan, with all the oil in, he added the pasta tomato mixture and tossed it all together. He finally sprinkled the mixed Italian herbs with the Parmigiano and served!
Suzanne Mokhtar is the mother of the young boy; Yassin. She sensed the talent in her son towards cooking since he was a little boy. Giving him the freedom to help his mama and the trust that that he can make good food is what gave him confidence to cook later on. Now, Suzanne can turn to her son when she is looking for new ideas and recipes. Mokhtar said, “It definitely helps make him a good person who enjoys helping others, as cooking is all about teamwork. It also encourages him to become an organized and independent person, soon to be a man.”
Suzanne Mokhtar is the Founder of a la Suzanne – Boutique on wheels and a la Suzanne Cooking School. From her blog @thelove_of_food, she constantly shares all her cooking and baking pictures and videos with the aim of encouraging people – especially the young generations – that cooking and baking can be fun and challenging, not just a daily routine for living.
