Pasta with Broccoli, SunDried Tomatoes, Feta and Toasted Pine Nuts
...One good thing about music, is when it hits, you feel no pain...Bob Marley
I heard Trenchtown Rock this morning, so appropriately tied to The Grammys which are on right now. I have to say there is a lot of mediocre music out there now, but I suppose it just readies us for omething really good when it comes along. Have you ever heard a song, read a book, saw a photograph and known it was created just for you? I love it when that happens. It makes me hungry.
The process of creation is celebrated at awards shows, that is the only reason I still watch them. Right now non-mediocre things are happening that will become songs, books, paintings, and I love the idea of that. Every night at 5pm, I feel that creative energy fill me. I wish I could say that about every time I sit down to write, but that is subject to a little struggle now and then; and with cooking and eating, well, I have never stood in front of a pantry or fridge full of items and wondered what to do. The culinary creative process is ever reliable for me.
One good thing about food, is when it cooks, I'm me again.
So, because it's too late tonight (I could certainly eat a bowl of something warm and hearty at this time, of course), tomorrow I am going to make a pasta dish that has disappeared from restaurant menus but was wildly popular a few years ago. I'll pour a glass of wine, light some candles, and put Rumours, The White Album or Ten into the cd drive. When artists are good, they're timeless. And when a dish feeds you, when the flavors blend together in a way that was created just for you, you shouldn't stop eating it.
Pasta with Broccoli, SunDried Tomatoes, Feta and Toasted Pine Nuts
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch of broccoli, washed, chopped, stalks trimmed and diced as well
1 jar sundried tomatoes, drained with packing oil reserved
1 lb. pasta, thin spaghetti works well
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 - 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
2/3 cup toasted pine nuts
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.
When water is boiling, add pasta.
Drain the sundried tomatoes, reserving the oil they were packed in.
Chop tomatoes roughly, set aside.
Over medium-high heat, in a pan large enough to hold pasta later, add sundried tomato oil to pan and sautee garlic until soft.
Add chicken broth.
When broth begins to simmer, add broccoli.
Let broccoli cook until it begins to soften, then add wine.
Add chopped sundried tomatoes.
Turn down heat to low until pasta is ready, the sauce should reduce a little.
When pasta is al dente, drain, then add to broocoli/tomatoes/wine broth.
Mix all ingredients well, toss pasta with sauce and vegetables.
Transfer pasta with broccoli/tomatoes to serving dish, then top with pine nuts, feta and parsley.
This version of Pasta et al, created by me, has been requested and replayed over and over. To my houseful of cute, hungry people around 6pm, I'm an artist to someone.
I heard Trenchtown Rock this morning, so appropriately tied to The Grammys which are on right now. I have to say there is a lot of mediocre music out there now, but I suppose it just readies us for omething really good when it comes along. Have you ever heard a song, read a book, saw a photograph and known it was created just for you? I love it when that happens. It makes me hungry.
The process of creation is celebrated at awards shows, that is the only reason I still watch them. Right now non-mediocre things are happening that will become songs, books, paintings, and I love the idea of that. Every night at 5pm, I feel that creative energy fill me. I wish I could say that about every time I sit down to write, but that is subject to a little struggle now and then; and with cooking and eating, well, I have never stood in front of a pantry or fridge full of items and wondered what to do. The culinary creative process is ever reliable for me.
One good thing about food, is when it cooks, I'm me again.
So, because it's too late tonight (I could certainly eat a bowl of something warm and hearty at this time, of course), tomorrow I am going to make a pasta dish that has disappeared from restaurant menus but was wildly popular a few years ago. I'll pour a glass of wine, light some candles, and put Rumours, The White Album or Ten into the cd drive. When artists are good, they're timeless. And when a dish feeds you, when the flavors blend together in a way that was created just for you, you shouldn't stop eating it.
Pasta with Broccoli, SunDried Tomatoes, Feta and Toasted Pine Nuts
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch of broccoli, washed, chopped, stalks trimmed and diced as well
1 jar sundried tomatoes, drained with packing oil reserved
1 lb. pasta, thin spaghetti works well
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 - 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
2/3 cup toasted pine nuts
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.
When water is boiling, add pasta.
Drain the sundried tomatoes, reserving the oil they were packed in.
Chop tomatoes roughly, set aside.
Over medium-high heat, in a pan large enough to hold pasta later, add sundried tomato oil to pan and sautee garlic until soft.
Add chicken broth.
When broth begins to simmer, add broccoli.
Let broccoli cook until it begins to soften, then add wine.
Add chopped sundried tomatoes.
Turn down heat to low until pasta is ready, the sauce should reduce a little.
When pasta is al dente, drain, then add to broocoli/tomatoes/wine broth.
Mix all ingredients well, toss pasta with sauce and vegetables.
Transfer pasta with broccoli/tomatoes to serving dish, then top with pine nuts, feta and parsley.
This version of Pasta et al, created by me, has been requested and replayed over and over. To my houseful of cute, hungry people around 6pm, I'm an artist to someone.
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