A simple pasta

Last week I went up north to stay with dear friends for a quick break. They live on the foothills of the Carmel, overlooking the sea. They have a small vegetable garden, a welcoming array of pillows and covers for guests, open hearts and open doors, a table in the front yard which has, as mentioned, a perfect view of the sea, which at the right hour becomes a shimmering expanse of brightness.

Greeted upon arrival by numerous cats and the newly green nature surrounding their home, I turned to satiate a small but definite hunger. The rains which fell recently mean an abundance of young green things which grow wild on any spot, so I gathered a bunch of  young nettle leaves ( with a plastic bag on my hand! ) and wild mustard greens. The mustard greens are delectable, and extremely simple to come by in winter if you live around here. Gather the young tender leaves. Along with the nettles, which are said to be highly nutritious and  cleansing to the body, this made for a delicious, simple, light lunch. Rinse the greens well, warm a little olive oil in a skillet, toss  the clean greens in along with some salt and pepper, and cook just until wilted, stirring occasionally. That's it. I had this with a piece of dense, dark rye toast slathered with raw tehina. You could serve the greens as a side to any dish you please. They also like a squeeze of lemon juice right before you eat them and a bit of garlic quickly fried in the oil before they join the skillet. But the simple way works more than fine.

Since the purpose of the visit was Rest, and since I still wanted to cook something for my hosts and myself, Pasta seemed the choice of the hour. Preparation was kept simple and minimal, but some fine ingredients gave the dish a luxurious feel and comforting flavors. 

Fusilli with Scallions, Dried Tomatoes and Goat's Cheese

1 pckg Fusilli ( I used Tricolor )

1 cup ( about 1 small bunch ) of scallions, cut into pieces about 2 cm long

100 gr pine nuts

1 bunch arugula

125 gr dried tomatoes, sliced ( about a cup )

150-200 gr crumbly goat's cheese ( I used an Israeli type which was rather soft and crumbly with an ash coating. yum ), crumbled or grated 

about 1/4 of a cup olive oil

Set a large pot of salted water to boil. cook pasta till al dente. while the pasta cooks, warm about half the olive oil in a large skillet. Add scallions, dried tomatoes, and pine nuts. Season with salt and coarsely ground black pepper. cook very shortly. When the pasta is ready and drained, combine with the sauce, stir well and remove from heat. Wait till the pasta cools a bit, then add arugula and cheese. You could either eat this immediately, or let sit and eat at room temperature. In any case, don't add the arugula too soon so that the leaves will maintain some crispness and not become cooked by the heat of the pasta. This would probably be good cold, too.

Just do it.

Hello. It's been more than a while. If I wait any longer, I may never return to writing this blog. And it's not as if I haven't been thinking about it, on the contrary. But with all the time that has gone by, and all the events and moments and places and delicious things these past months have presented me with, I have started feeling as though when I finally sit down to write something here, it will have to be elaborate. It will have to be wow. And once I do it, I'll have to start doing the same once a day. Every day.

But a dear friend recently reminded me of baby steps., of the importance of letting go of disabling expectations and perfectionism, and just getting to it. So I will take her advice and waddle along here. There won't be many photos, and not too many words, but there will be soup, a lovely rich orange colored soup with Asian flavors, a spicy kick and a smooth creamy texture. And it's easy, too.

Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut milk

1.5 kg pumpkin ( weight with peel ) peeled and cut into medium-small cubes

5 small sweet potatoes

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 hot green pepper- use as much or little as you like

1 stalk of lemon grass*

1 tbsp peeled chopped fresh ginger

1 can coconut milk*

a little oil, coconut or sunflower

 fresh lemon/lime juice

salt

To serve:

Cashew nuts, either lightly dry-pan roasted or not, chopped

fresh cilantro, chopped

In a large pot, warm oil over a medium flame. Add Garlic, diced hot pepper, ginger and lemon grass. Stir and cook for a few seconds- just till the mixture start giving off its scent. Add pumpkin and sweet potato cubes ( try and dice these in the same size, so they will cook evenly), cover and cook till vegetables become soft, stirring occasionally and taking care not to burn or brown the vegetables- this would make the soup a less bright and vibrant shade of orange, and you want it a beautiful orange. Cover with water, bring to boil and cook just till veggies are softened, not very long. Add coconut milk, cook for a few more minutes and remove from flame.Add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and salt and let cool a little before removing lemon grass stalk and blending. Check seasoning and server with chopped cashew and cilantro.

* a few quick notes. If you are lucky and have a lemon grass bush growing in your yard or patio you can use fresh lemon grass, which can also be bought dry at Asian speciality shops and health food stores. You don't want the long green leaves, which you can set aside and use in tea, but the part just above ground, the base of the leaves, a white stalk about 8 cm long. from this stalk branch out several leaves. I cut the stalk I used into about two pieces before adding them to the pot.

Take a quick look at the ingredient list on the can of coconut milk and try to find one with no additives and preservatives. This is usually also a higher quality coconut milk, with higher fat percentages. Absolutely worth both the calories and the price.

Last note: this soup is delicious on the spicy side, so I wouldn't give up the hot pepper. That said, the pepper I used tricked me into believing that it wasn't that hot so I went ahead and threw the whole thing into the pot, seeds and all. Yikes. Adjust the amount of pepper you use according to just how spicy your particular pepper is and just how spicy you like your food. I used a green pepper, but I bet a red one would be just as nice.

Oh, and one more thing! you could trade the cashew-cilantro topping for roasted chopped peanuts and fresh scallions. Or you could mix and match. Good luck and happy cooking!

Have a warm, quiet, peaceful weekend, wherever you are.