Wow… it’s been a long time. So long that I’ve had to re-learn how to post. Didn’t take too long to refresh my memory, though I’m still getting used to the new picture uploading process. Anywho – it’s good to be back. And it took a special day to get me to return.
FRIDAY. Say it with me, people: Fher-ri-ee-day. The kind of Friday that unfolds and reveals itself oh-so-slowly…taking its sweet time to arrive after one of those weeks that refuse to end. This one started out quiet and cold with the promise of snow, and by lunch the streets were covered in white. By 4 o’clock I was biting my nails, desperate to leave so that I could just go home, crack open a bottle of wine, cook something warm and wind down from one of the craziest work weeks I’ve had in a long time.
Halfway into the Shuttle ride from Grand Central to Times Square, I decided on pasta. Herby and garlicky, with spicy sausage…maybe some Pecorino grated on top? And then I suddenly remembered a post I saw on Serious Eats yesterday, for one of my favorite dishes – Pasta all’Amatriciana. Immediately I decided I would add tomato to my pasta. And sausage could take the place of the guanciale (read: bacon-supremo-caloric-suicide). It was settled.
30 minutes later, after a quick stop at Whole Foods and my favorite wine shop Landmark Wine, I was sipping on a glass of red, nibbling on Pecorino, slicing into garlic and boiling fresh spinach fettucine. Another 20 minutes later, I sank into my couch with a bowl of hot deliciousness balanced on my knees and thanked the universe for blessing the world with the 5th day.
Finally Friday Pasta – adapted from Serious Eats and Babbo.com
Ingredients (2 servings)
1/4 pound spicy Italian sausage cut into small pieces
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1/2 large red onion, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 oz. tomato sauce
6 oz. fresh spinach fettucine
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley
Pecorino Romano cheese, for grating
Cooking Directions:
1. Boil a pot of water for the pasta.
2. In the meantime, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the sausage, red onion, garlic, and chili flakes.
3. Cook until the onions turn semi-soft and the sausage is slightly browned. Add the tomato sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Cook the (fresh) pasta for 5 minutes/al dente and drain. Add the pasta to the tomato sauce, adding pasta water if necessary. Toss. Add parsley. Toss again. Grate over Pecorino cheese.
5. Be happy.
Wow, that pasta looks phenomenal! It looks amazingly hearty and creamy. What a perfect way to end a crazy week.
So glad to see you back in the blogging world…hope your long absence will be your one and only hiatus!
Looks delicious! Spicy and yummy with hot red pepper! Great Friday meal, Pasta and wine. Welcome back. Hope to see you soon.
[...] I love Friday nights. I love that it’s the end of the work week, and that you have not only the whole night ahead of you but also the promise of two full days of freedom to come. I rarely make plans for Friday nights. Instead, I make my Friday nights “me” time—sometimes I’ll curl up with a good book, other times I’ll watch my favorite TV shows (the Food Network, the Discovery Channel and NatGeo are my faves) and of course still other times I’ll whip something up in the kitchen (my friend at Conspicuous Consumptions had it right). [...]