Well, I seem to be surviving the departure of my daughter.
At first, I wondered if I’d ever be alone because right after my daughter left, my son came and visited for a couple nights, but I was alone last weekend, which left time for an old friend to come and stay over and for me to finally clean my daughter’s room the way I’ve been dying to clean it for — oh about four years.
So, after maniacal cleaning on Saturday, I got to relax with Allegra. Then we got up, read the paper, had lattes, went to breakfast and I came home to a house that was still clean. I was so happy, I left to go to the mall and bought a couple little things I needed.
Then I went to see the movie, Victoria and Abdul, and for the first time in my life I actually admitted (without someone coercing me) that I am a senior citizen to get the stinking discount. Senior citizen is defined as 60 at this theater — what kind of crap is that? It was always 65 and now suddenly, timed to make me feel older and more decrepit, it’s 60. C’est la vie. My minor irritation was overruled by my happiness at saving three bucks.
Then I got myself popcorn and thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Afterward I came home to a house that was still clean, and made some wonderful pasta for myself because, hey, it was Sunday!
If you’re noticing a theme here, it’s because I’ve spent so much time cleaning that I never really had much time to do what I wanted to do, but I can see things leveling out now and I’m very OK with it.
Plus, I have a wonderful, simple pasta dish for you to try. It was rotini pasta (but it’s also delicious with papardelle pasta) with a fresh tomato sauce with shallots, fresh basil and a little cream. You can add mushrooms if you want, which is a wonderful addition. It’s good either way. I remember watching someone make this simple sauce probably 30 years ago and I remembered it for its simplicity and its wonderful flavor.
Then I got to sit, eat and watch Netflix. Relaxation in my clean house was so great, I sat there beaming. It reminded me of being in my 20’s, making myself a great meal, then soaking in the bathtub with a glass of wine and thinking, man, life is great.
It was then, and still is.
Pasta with Fresh Tomato, Shallots, Basil and Cream
Fill a pot with water for pasta and heat it to boiling. While the pasta water is heating, heat another small pot with water and let it boil. Take the large tomato and submerge it in the boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove the tomato and peel it. Then cut the tomato in half – width wise, squeeze the seeds out and discard them. Once the seeds are out, (it's OK if a few remain) chop the tomato into small pieces, less than an inch in size and set them aside.
Rinse about 6 large leaves of fresh basil and dry it, then chop it into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 tablespoons full) and set it aside.
In a saute pan heat the olive oil and the butter until butter melts. While it's melting, slice the shallot in thin slices and add it to the butter, olive oil mixture until the shallots are translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute the tomatoes, smashing them slightly with a fork. Cook about five to ten minutes letting the tomatoes cook down a bit.
Add the fresh basil and the whipping cream to the tomatoes and combine thoroughly. Let it cook about five minutes then turn heat to warm.
Once the water is boiling, add the papardelle and cook it according to directions. When the pasta is done cooking, drain it and add it to the sauce a bit at a time. Be sure to not add too much pasta because then the dish will be too dry without enough sauce. Serve with Pecorino cheese.
Ingredients