One of my small victories in the NWCAV culinary basics course has been the tranformation of my approach to cooking pasta. Spaghetti used to be a depressing and uninspired meal, that was at least cheap and filling -- one step above eating out in that respect: Boil the pasta, and dump some fancy Classico or Presidents Choice sauce on top; the end. Now that I know how to properly salt the water, suddenly the flavour begins in the pasta itself. Tonight I tossed the cooked spaghettini in olive oil with garlic, chopped Roma tomatoes and salt and pepper. Another Italian secret: I added some of the water the pasta was cooked in to the mixture.
I can't imagine ever buying one of those fancy $3.99 sauces again. Simplicity, fresh quality ingredients -- that's the heart of Italian cuisine.
Dessert: these adorable Mink chocolates, a birthday present from Lynley. Almost too cute to eat! Almost.
With my cooking classes finished, another adventure is on the horizon: the next several days will be spent in the Yukon, where I will be shooting the Dawson City Music Festival. Unfortunately this means I might not be able to regularly update this blog while I'm away. I'll try, but I'm not making any promises. I'll be back on Tuesday though, and everything will fall neatly back into place, the way it always does.
Mmmm. That looks like the perfect dish. Simple, beautiful & deliciously satisfying. The chocolates are so pretty too!
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