I admit it. I've lost my edge. That culinary edge that is. Is there an excuse? Maybe working 45-50 hours a week means I come home and have little energy for pursuits that don't involve Dranei or Neal Stephenson or Heian Yondan. But when I was chatting with one half of the Good Drs. Eirich it made me a little whistful for the days when I would actually post recipes here.
Despite the fact that today is a Saturday I still didn't feel like cooking. I talked the talk ("It's a gorgeous fall day, great for roast chicken, mashed potatoes, maybe creamed spinach!" much to the delight of the boy) but as the day went on and my office got more decorated and organized all else fell to the wayside. The boy could only muster up a "I don't know, a pasta thingie?" and I was stuck.
A flip through Two Meatballs in the Italian Kitchen by Pino Luongo and Mark Strausman and I had some ideas, but a limited pantry. So I glosssed over 5 or so recipes, and little bits of each got stuck in my brain like poppies from a bagel in your teeth. Hm, I have this, and can substitute that, and add this, and it just... might... work!
Since what I made was less recipe and more make-it-up-as-I-go, I'm not going to trouble you with a full blown recipe but rather the stream-of-consciousness that happened while I was at the stove.
Start with three or four cloves of garlic and mince them and set aside. Take a whole onion and dice. Throw some good x-virgin olive oil in a pan and heat. Remember you have turkey bacon in the fridge and dice up four or five slices of that (dear GOD, if you have pancetta or real bacon, please do indulge!) Once the pan is going and the oil is shimmering, throw in the bacon. Let fry up for a bit, then add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium high for a little bit, then lower the heat to somewhere between medium and medium low. Then leave it alone for about 8 minutes. When you remember what you were doing, set a pot of water on to boil and add a good pat of butter to the bacon/onion mix that's sauteing away in the pan and about two to three teaspoons of anchovy paste. Shake it up to mix everything together, then add a pinch of salt, a bit of thyme, and some pepper. and let everything fizzle for a bit, until things start to become golden brown on the edges.
Lightly drain a large tin of diced tomatoes (just pour off the excess liquid from the top) and prep a tin of tomato paste. Add half a can of tomato paste (about two rounded tablespoons) to the bacon mix and incorporate. Once it's all blended together, add the tin of diced tomatoes and the remaining juices. Let simmer on low for a while as you put the linguini in the pot and boil.
Taste the tomato sauce and adjust seasoning as necessary. If it's a bit too thick, add a bit of pasta water. When the linguini is done, plate, top with sauce, and add shaved asiago cheese. Enjoy with a glass of red and try to be dignified as you lick the bowl clean.
Mmmmm... sounds delicious (vegan meatballs in my imagination, though).
Posted by: puglyfeet | 07 October 2008 at 02:09 AM