April 7 Wing night with the neighbours
April 8 Pasta with spring vegetables
April 9 Grilled striploin, roasted baby potatoes and grilled asparagus
The weather is finally turning and spring is here at last. No more stews and cheesy, heavy baked dishes until late fall, and that feels like a lifetime away now. Shack was working really late on Friday so it was just going to be me and the kid. Originally, the kid was supposed to be gone with his dad and I am going to be honest with you - I was going to buy myself a falafel dinner from a place by the subway that is supposed to be amazing but since I am the only one who really loves falafel, I haven't been yet. Shack was going to be so late, he wasn't going to be able to take Little Shack out for dinner with his Grumpa so I had to feed him as well. Good bye falafel, hello pasta!
I wanted something quick and light and I really wanted some asparagus so I just bought an array of colourful veggies to throw into a pasta. Normally I would have just done olive oil with a splash of chicken stock but I had half a can of evaporated milk in the fridge leftover from the stovetop mac and cheese so I used that instead and it was perfect. I am really loving this evaporated milk stuff. It's thick, it doesn't separate or curdle and it's not a gazillion percent butterfat. We both really enjoyed it and I think the kid even ate a couple pieces of asparagus. This is the kind of dish I would fall back on at least a couple of times a month and I am going to miss it. I guess I can do it again as long as I change up the veggies a bit.
I will admit that starting in on month four, I am a bit fatigued and there are days that cooking feels more like a chore than a joy. The worrying about being able to photograph the food, making something worthy of writing about because I have to post something in the morning is getting frustrating. I am going to start making little challenges for myself to keep it fun because as frustrating as it is at times, I am committed to doing this for the entire year which means that I am not even 1/3 done lol!
Just keeping it real.
Pasta Primaverish
serves 2
glug of olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 crown of broccoli, chopped
1/2 yellow pepper
12 asparagus spears
dozen cherry tomatoes
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup evaporated milk
freshly grated parmesan
fresh basil
Heat a pot of water to the boiling point to cook the pasta.
heat a pan over med heat and add a glug of olive oil. Sauté the garlic for a minute and then add the vegetables, starting with the broccoli. Next add the asparagus, yellow pepper and sauté for a few minutes. Then add the chopped cherry tomato and sauté for another minute or two. Salt and pepper and add the 1/3 cup of white wine. Let it simmer and reduce for about 3 minutes. Then add the evaporated milk and let that simmer for another couple of minutes.
Meanwhile, you have cooked your spaghetti in the boiling water and it should be done right about now. Take the pan of vegetables off the heat, add a handful (or to taste) of fresh basil that you either chop or cut in with scissors, add the pasta and stir to combine with the sauce.
Serve with lots of fresh parmesan (and hot chilli flakes if you are me)
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