August 24, 2007

Recipe News: The don't-follow pasta recipe

Ever notice how certain dishes, even ones you made up yourself, seem to "belong" to other people? Like sautéed Swiss chard with garlic and red pepper flakes that "belongs" to my friend Carlos. It's not his recipe, but because I know he likes it, it's his dish. Or like the saffron-rich cioppino with big chunks of whitefish and a little minced ginger that "belongs" to my friend Lynn. Or the simplest-of-simple cheese-on-tortilla quesadilla with Lawry's seasoned salt. That belongs to my friend Jenn. I took informal stock the other day of the high-rotation dishes in my repertoire and realized that the dishes I make most are all associated with someone else. Like Andrea's martini. Danny's ziti. Henry's quesadilla. Susan's marinated pork loin. Mom's chocolate chip cookies. All the good stuff. My favorite of the bunch might be A's pasta, which belongs to my good friend Andy. A simple kitchen-cabinet pasta dish, A's pasta is a quick, savory supper, ready in as long as it takes to boil water and cook spaghetti. It's best consumed in the backyard, accompanied by a smooth pinot noir and followed with ginger cookies.

Includes recipe for:

A's Pasta

Full article here.