The recipe calls for bacon. I had none but had a tubful of leftover spaghetti Bolognaise sauce. I wasn't sure it would work out but for the sake of experimentation, I tried it and am I glad I did!

You see I had around half a kilogram of mangetout leftover from last weekend and was tired of the usual stir-fries and stews. I was scanning through my mother's cookbooks for recipes when I saw Mangetout and Bacon Salad. It looked like something I would really love but it was late in the evening and I was too lazy to go out to buy some bacon.

And so they say, necessity is the mother of all invention. I Dried some of the spaghetti sauce and substituted it for bacon. I think the tomato sauce adds a new flavour dimension. This recipe is something I would definitely try again.

Mangetout Salad
250 g mangetout, topped and tailed with strings removed
6 tbsp. spaghetti Bolognaise (meat) sauce
1/2 cup croutons
1 tsp. (extra) virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

In a saucepan, gently heat the spaghetti sauce until it is almost the consistency of paste. Set aside.

Boil some water. As soon as it reaches a rolling boil, drop the mangetout and cook for 2-3 minutes, till the pods are tender yet still crisp. Take out from boiling water and plunge in cold water to prevent them from overcooking. Drain then pat with a paper towel to dry.

In a bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

In another container, toss the mangetout, the croutons and the spaghetti sauce. Pour the dressing then gently toss again.

Serves 2.

The original recipe is from Reader's Digest Eat Better, Live Better. To turn it back, use bacon instead of spaghetti sauce, white wine vinegar instead of balsamic.