Ham & Peas Tripolina

I went a little crazy over the weekend–with my pasta shopping, that is. I took advantage of the wide variety of available pasta at the duty-free shops at the old Clark Air Base in Angeles City, province of Pampanga. The prices were good but the variety was even better. Of course, I only bought stuff that one does not usually find in local supermarkets and those that, although available, were a real bargain. So, we came home with about six different kinds of pasta–all interestingly shaped.

On the way home, we passed by our favorite tocino (cured pork) and longganisa (native sausages) store. It’s called Belcap. The main outlet is along Xavierville Avenue in Quezon City. Apart from the fatless tocino and longganisa, Belcap also has chicken nuggets and tapa (cured beef). It’s been a long time since we last went there. Last night was the first time since Friday that I did some real cooking.

Friends came over yesterday and we decided to go the the tiangge (flea market) at the Marikina Riverpark (visit this site for photos). We had Ham & Peas Tripolina for dinner before leaving for the tiangge. Tripolina is a pasta shape that looks like the edges of lasagne noodles. About half an inch wide and 10 inches long, one edge is flat while the other edge is curly.

Melt the butter in a skillet. When hot, add the ham. Cook over high heat until the edges start to brown. Add the onions and tomatoes. Lower the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Mix the tomato paste with enough water to make 1-1/2 cups. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar, adjusting the amounts according to your taste. Pour into the ham mixture. Add the sweet peas. Cook over medium heat just until the mixture boils. Add the cooked pasta and toss.