Just Cook It

2020. We are halfway through this very strange year. I've kind of forgotten what "normal" was like. (Is there actually such a thing as "normal"?) The last weeks and months we've all made adjustments. We've given up things. Some have had devastating losses. We have not. But still, it's been hard...not seeing grandchildren, not having dinner with friends, not planning trips and on and on and on. Other things have almost been a relief to jettison. I pretty much have given up makeup except for an occasional swipe of mascara. Schedules are (mostly) a thing of the past. 

While I have not counted consecutive meals I've cooked (like some of you do,) you know it's a lot. Months and months of meals. I've given up measuring ingredients much of the time. (If you are baking, do not do this.) Doing things differently keeps me from going bonkers. I've been "just cooking." Since I tend to stick to uncomplicated meals, that isn't the hardest thing to do. 

So last week on the same day that Daddy-O plunked down bucket #3 of grape tomatoes, a good friend posted Instagram photos of her supper. Pasta with grape tomatoes. I took that as a sign. I needed to make what she did. Except she told me the recipe came from a brand new magazine that I didn't have. Too new to find the recipe online. 

By 5:30 I realized if I didn't do something quick, there would be no dinner on the table. So I decided to make a wild stab at copying Missy's supper based on the photo. And it was delicious.

There was no actual recipe but in the interest of making this again, I'm writing down what I did (as best I can remember.) I'm making good guesses at amounts because like I said, I didn't measure anything. Feel free to do your own guesswork. 

GRAPE TOMATOES & PASTA (serves 2 to 3)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups grape tomatoes

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut in thin strips

salt & pepper to taste

pinch of sugar (optional)

3 tablespoon fresh grated parmesan 

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

fresh mozzarella pearls

8 oz whole wheat thin spaghetti

Heat oil in a large skillet to low. Add garlic, stir and cook about 2 minutes, being careful not to burn it. Add whole grape tomatoes. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes until tomatoes begin to soften. Break up some of the tomatoes. (I used a potato masher to mash up some of the tomatoes—maybe half of them. This releases juices that will help make a sauce.) Season with salt and pepper, add a pinch of sugar if tomatoes are very acidic. Stir in basil.

Cover and let simmer 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes are soft. Grate fresh parmesan over the sauce. Add balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine.

While sauce is simmering, cook spaghetti to al dente. Using tongs lift cooked spaghetti straight into the sauce. (Save a little pasta cooking water and add a spoonful or two to thin sauce if you need to.) Remove skillet from heat. Toss cooked spaghetti with tomato sauce. Poke mozzarella pearls down into the pasta. Cover and let sit a few minutes to let mozzarella melt.

Top with more Parmesan and garnish with basil. Serve.

Cattle farmer Daddy-O really liked this supper. Even though it had no meat, he kept saying, "This is really good!" Since the tomatoes are still coming in fast and furious and there is plenty of basil in the garden, I need to make this again soon. Might as well use up the other half of that box of spaghetti!

For the record, Missy sent me the recipe she used a couple of days later. My version was remarkably like hers. I mean—look at the photo. You can see what's in the dish. You know that olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper are basics. And parmesan is in most pasta dishes. I had mozzarella pearls that needed to be used, so in they went. All ingredients except the pasta could be eaten without cooking at all, so you could cook it more or cook it less. Any way you do it, it's not going to hurt you. There is no required doneness level for safety. That's pretty much all you need to know. Go for it.

Now for a question...is there one silly thing you've missed during this stay-at-home time? For me, it's been people watching. We live out in the country between a small town and a smaller town. In a normal time we don't see lots of folks, but now I find myself craving people. I seriously have found myself a few times driving around after I've picked up my grocery order looking for people. Any people. People walking to their cars in a parking lot. People going into the drug store. People walking their dog. And it makes me feel a little better. What about you?