I’m trying to cut carbs, but let’s face it. Everyone loves the occasional special pasta dish. And with kids, it’s fast, easy, and pleasing. You mean, I don’t have negotiate bites or deal with full-on refusals to eat?! SOLD
We are sensitive to spicy foods so I used sweet soppressata. Red Pepper flakes? Puhhleaze…not happening. Especially with little kids. You will want to stab someone if you have to find and pick out all of those godforsaken little flakes out for your kids.
Even gourmet can be simple if you use the right ingredients!
I will definitely make this again. Get the whole recipe here
You’ll need (for the most part):
Arugula -Those big clamshell boxes are perfect. You’ll be surprised how much it wilts down. And if you have extra, so be it. I’m trying to have more veggies over carbs anyway.
Soppressata– I’ve never fried salami before, but it was really yummy and lent a fun crunchy chip feel to the dish. I didn’t use it as a topping as Real Simple suggests. I am the queen of one pot cooking. Less mess. No, I’m not going to individually plate and serve. In our house, it’s family style.
Garlic– Don’t let it get too dark brown or else it will start to taste bitter and can ruin the dish. Don’t walk away; watch it carefully, give it less time than the recipe says, like maybe even less than a minute (not 2).
Sour Cream & Lemon– Yum
Linguine-this recipe calls for 12 oz which annoys me because most boxes are 16 oz. So I just eye it up and take about 3/4s of a box and have a stupid little 1/4 of a box of pasta left that I will probably not use until I make 4 more 12 oz pasta dinners!
I grew up in an Italian household. Who really follows the directions on the box? Just give it a few minutes and take a taste. For al dente pasta, you don’t want it to be hard or crunchy, just have a bit of give on your teeth when you bite down. Soft, but with a little bit of a chewiness to it. Al dente literally means “to the tooth” in Italian.
I suspect this may be a genetic skill. My French mother-in-law, bless her heart, systematically overcooks pasta (but hey, she’s usually cooking for 15 of our asses at once, so she still gets mad props). You would think this skill would develop simply being in proximity to Italy, like some sort of geographical osmosis. NOT SO. I will not tell you all the sacrilegious treatment of Italian food these eyes have seen.
If you really want to have an excuse to be crazy and throw off your guests, throw some pasta on the wall. I hear if it sticks, that means it’s done. I am kidding. Do not do that.
Don’t forget to reserve some of the water because it has starch from the pasta in it that will give your sauce some structure.
Bon Appetit!
Fortunate Femme 