August 31, 2015

Mamma Mode & Late Night Summer Pasta


Where to start?  Should I put the clean dishes away?  Try to run out to check the overstuffed mail box, what about the flowers that T brought home for our Anniversary, should I make a handful of bouquets to bloom around the house? 

Typically it’s laundry…clean the kitchen…attempt to water the plants before it’s blistering hot outside…oh those poor neglected plants!  Maybe a nice long shower??? Haha, that’s not possible any more…perhaps a nap to catch up on sleep?  That’s a lost cause by now…I’m in full blown Mamma Mode, watch out because here I come, racing through the grocery store before my little one awakes…typically she’s okay but on certain occasions she has been known to wake up red-faced and fussing loudly.  I’m on a mission when I’m out in the world now, no lollygagging down the aisles at the grocery store, it’s an all-out race to get it all done so that we can get home and nurse, change and carry the baby! 

I’ve spent many hours these last 2 months carrying our little one, in fact she doesn't like us to let go of her unless she is super sleepy and asleep or only if we are very near (we are talking 2 feet away!)….and she rarely likes Mamma to sit down, so you will find me bouncing, rocking, dancing and stretching while holding my little one, she loves movement, however not in anything non-organic, typically just arms and preferably Mamma or Dada’s arms!

Recently our little one and I ventured out to Great Auntie Mary’s house, where we visited, snacked on delicious chocolate zucchini bread, toured the garden and sneaked in a little kitty nap!  Our sweet pea is the master of “kitty naps;” a 30 minute nap here, a 15 minute nap there, no more long naps, just snappy and quick before she misses out on something!

We were given gorgeously ripe and sweet tomatoes on our visit!  Sugary cherry tomatoes bursting with juice, plus an added bonus, these can easily be popped into ones mouth while carrying a newborn!  Uncle David went out of his way to load us up with ridiculously ripe plump tomatoes that we could eat immediately and a few that would last a couple of days…picked to perfection!  The ripe and ready-to-go are the perfect addition to this speedy summer pasta dish!

So today, I started with a quick load of laundry,  and I chose Pasta!! In all its wheaty, glutinous-filled glory!  Heading back to my roots….this dish was a late night creation that a co-worker, Corrado, made when I was an intern in Gaiole in Chianti; one wintry night after our Christmas celebration, we were all starving (all of the kitchen crew) so Corrado made a deliciously quick pasta to fill our bellies!
This is my summer spin on it!



Late Night Summer Pasta
Serves 4 main or 8 side
1lb pasta
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 sprig rosemary, minced
4 large ripe tomatoes (preferably from the garden or farmers’ market), coarsely chopped (seeds and all of the juices too!) or 3-4 handfuls of garden cherry tomatoes
1 small bunch basil, chiffonade
2 ounces butter, or more to taste
Freshly grated parmesan to taste
Sea salt, to taste
Boil your pasta of choice in salty water until just about, al dente, or about 2 minutes shorter than you normally cook it!
Warm a deep skillet over medium heat and add a glug of olive oil once warm.
Add minced garlic and rosemary, cook until fragrant and the garlic is a bit glossy and transparent, about 1-2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and all of the juices and simmer while the pasta is cooking.
Once the pasta has reached al dente, spoon it out into the cooking tomatoes with a bit of the pasta water (about ½-1 cup) bring back to a simmer and toss in the basil and butter. 
Salt to taste and serve with lots of freshly grated parmesan.

Buon Appetito!