When I’m on my own, as I’ve mentioned here before, I tend to eat things the ABO isn’t keen on. Occasionally I’ll eat a big meal at lunchtime and then have crackers and cheese or beans on toast. Last night, I was hungry, tired and the fridge was almost empty (we’re due a ‘big shop’) so we were out of my go to quick meal of eggs on toast. What I did have was some leftover cream and some lemons. Not what you would think would make the main basis of a meal. I’ve had this recipe in the back of my mind for a while having made it a few times 2 summers ago. I make no bones about owning it; in fact a quick search reveals the smitten kitchen has beaten me to it by some time…usually I add some peas but we are out of those too. It’s easy to scale up or down. It would be delicious with other green vegetables especially asparagus. In brief, here’s what I did…
Boil the spaghetti or tagliatelle (or other pasta…I’ve done this with fusilli and penne, but a long thin pasta works best). Whilst this is cooking, zest and juice a medium sized lemon (I used 2 slightly shrivelled small ones- I also heated them in microwave for 10secs to get more juice), grate a good handful of parmesan cheese and roughly chop some herbs…today I used basil as that’s what I had handy, although thyme works well too.
When cooked drain the pasta. Gently heat the cream (a good glug per person) in the same saucepan, add in the lemon zest and half of the juice. Return the spaghetti to the pan stir through the sauce, add a little water to slacken if you need to (Smitten Kitchen reserves some pasta water but I always forget this!) stir through the parmesan cheese. Add more lemon juice to your taste (I didn’t need to). Add lots of black pepper. Grate on even more parmesan cheese. Serve to yourself on a tray in front of some mindless TV and remember just in time to take a photo on your phone in very poor light
One of my favourite comfort meals. I haven't eaten this for ages but will add it to my mental list of things I want to eat. My husband is not keen on pasta (or starchy food in general) and I have neglected my pasta repertoire a little lately. Family meals are not always very enjoyable I find, tiredness and fussiness don't help. We tend to eat a 6 pm, all together. I am soooo hungry just now! Cx
ReplyDeleteQuite often there's someone crying at mealtimes! Sometimes it's me :) BigR announced she didn't like chicken casserole anymore so I told her I'd made chicken stew. She's still young enough not to realise!!!
DeleteThis sounds delicious, thank you for sharing. It was interesting to read about your cooking/eating habits when you husband is away because I'm the same. I feel so unmotivated when he's not here. When he travels for work, it's almost always for several nights. I usually have one night at McDonald's so they can play on the indoor play structure, then the other nights are home-cooked, but they devolve in quality and complexity as the days wear on: pasta to scrambled eggs to soup from a can. Then he comes back and I'm excited to cook again. I think it's because I don't care as much about food as he does. He's genuinely enthusiastic about it, which is nice.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived alone I often cooked 'nice' things just for myself but it's genuinely lovely to cook for another person and have them enjoy it. Sometimes with all the other things we do we just need fuel and to get on with other stuff. :-)
ReplyDeleteLemon is my favourite flavour. That looks yummy
ReplyDeleteI love lemon and would have it with everything! If there's a lemon dessert on a menu...it's mine!
DeleteThat looks, and sounds, delicious. I know my husband would never eat this so I'll stash this idea away at the back of my mind for a night when I'm eating alone. x
ReplyDeleteI have to say it was very tatsy...and one to definitely do again when the ABO is on 'lates' :-) xx
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