JOURNAL: Five Minute Sauce for Pasta

The summer has been hectic. I am teaching a course at twice the speed I taught in the spring, I'm taking a class as a student, also double-time, plus I've been traveling, so there has been little time for cooking and even less time for writing about it, but I need to remember to make time to eat at least.

I have been cleaning my apartment like a madman tonight, the imminent return of my lovely roommate at my heels, and around ten thirty I realized that I hadn't eaten yet…today. Well, a fistful of edamame around noon, but that was it. In five minutes, plus the time it takes to boil linguine, I MacGyvered a surprisingly delicious sauce out of the random things I had discovered while tidying the kitchen.

It went like this: I sautéed the mushrooms left over from New World Tempura (Oops, I still need to write about that) in a quarter stick of butter that I found behind my food processor and a teaspoon or two of (what I assume was) dalmatian sage from an unmarked bottle of what looked like green-gray lint. I killed the heat and mixed in a 6-ounce tub of creme fraiche with an expiration date that must have been a typo, because it looked fine to me, and a little sea salt. It was really satisfying and surprisingly delectable. I will gladly make it by choice next time, rather than out of necessity.

JOURNAL/TIP: Fry It

I'm feeling less than inspired today, but I was thinking back on the quick dinner I made of Trader Joe's perogies a couple nights ago. They were not good. Mediocre at best, but I figured that any sort of boiled, cheese filled dough could be given the same invigorating treatment: pan fry in butter with a parmesan crust.

I think I stole the concept from the restaurant I worked at in college, although I don’t honestly remember how they made their fried ravioli. Essentially, spice up store bought ravioli by boiling as per the instructions, dredging them while still damp in a mixture of salt, pepper and grated parmesan (or another hard cheese) and then frying them in butter until golden brown and crusty. I usually only coat and fry them on one side, but make sure you serve them fried side up. A puddle of sauce is a nice touch, but not necessary, as they are pretty zesty on their own.

On another note, I recently got my digital camera back from the shop and I am taking a photography course this summer (which I may start blogging about soon), so hopefully I will start shooting some fine-looking food photos to post on the blog. TSB has been hounding me to put up a picture of the Burberry Pancake, so I really should get on it. Much to her mix of chagrin and delight, I used the last of the raspberry sauce last night to make a cocktail with lemonade and some homemade kumquat liqueur. It was some succulent swill if I dare to boast, and if nothing else, TSB can be guaranteed more crepes for the photo shoot in the near future.