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Pasta always fixes everything.
Well, not technically. Technically, I was still overwhelmed with work last week, and technically, I was still behind on cleaning my house, and technically, I’m still working on getting my cats to get along, and technically, it’s still a million degrees outside.
But when my pantry was running low this week, I reached for my tried and true big pot and spaghetti. See, my husband believes that I am a good cook. In reality, I just know how to keep throwing things into pasta until it tastes good.
But as I reached for my pasta pot this week, I decided to try something new. Instead of my tried-and-true “it’ll probably work out” approach, I found an actual recipe for pasta. I figured, why not actually pull up a recipe and find a new flavor combination for the summer?
That’s when I found this lemon pasta recipe on The Pioneer Woman, which, though not entirely unique, would be new to me and my kitchen.
And yet, as I chopped garlic, basil and lemons for this recipe, it still felt like I was doing something extremely familiar. Something that my mother had done for me, and that, I’m sure, her mother did for her.
Even without any Italian roots, the feeling of bringing the pot to a boil, simmering the pasta, and letting a sauce simmer together to perfection is just a comfort that you can’t deny.
As I cooked, Hunter wandered through the kitchen, asking me how long everything was going to take. There were only a few minutes left on my timer, by then, so he hung out in the kitchen for a while, chatting about food and the column. He offered to help, of course, but I told him it was better to just sit and talk while I finished up.
“What’s your favorite thing to cook?” he asked. “Like, what’s the best thing you can make without being super stressed about it?”
I wish I had had some super creative answer. Of course, I first explained that I prefer baking to cooking, period. And then, I listed a few of my classic recipes that I’ve always made for as long as I’ve been in front of a stove. But eventually, I realized that what I was making really was my favorite thing to cook.
Pasta should not be hard to make. It just shouldn’t be. Even if you’re making the pasta from scratch, all it takes is a little time and energy. It’s never about high-pressure cooking techniques, or perfect chopping, or anything like that. It’s all about time and energy.
As I stood over my pasta pot, I realized that for one brilliant, shining moment, it really felt like everything was really going to work out.
Maybe my house was really going to be clean one day. Maybe my cats would get along. Maybe it wouldn’t be hotter than the surface of the sun anymore.
And maybe it wouldn’t. But I still had a big bowl of delicious pasta to eat, and I definitely enjoyed every bite of it.
LEMON PASTA
(Adapted from The Pioneer Woman)
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound uncooked spaghetti
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for serving
Freshly ground black pepper, for serving
Directions
■ Heat a large pot over medium heat; add the oil and butter. Allow the butter to foam, then add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
■ Add the pasta, 6 cups of water and salt to the pot and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue simmering for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until the pasta is al dente.
■ Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice and basil. The liquid in the pot should thicken. Serve topped with more Parmesan, basil and black pepper.
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