Garlic and Parsley Shrimp with Bucatini pasta

 Welcome back my Pasta Pals,

What a rush posting that first blog post yesterday. I received some lovely positive feedback, and am so encouraged to keep going with this project, excited for where it may take me. Today, at work (Oh yeah - I still have a day job. I'm not a full time blogger just yet....) I discovered something fantastic: we don't always have to run away from bad situations, sometimes we can look outside for inspiration, and then bring that back to the where we currently are and transform the situation for ourselves. Hm. Food for thought. Maybe too hard to conceptualize without context, but anyway. It was a transformative feeling, for sure. 

Long days of thinking too hard should always be rewarded by big comforting mouthfuls of garlicy pasta. That's just what I did: 

What is Bucatini pasta?
This great blog post, by The Spruce Eats, gives an excellent full description: Bucatini (boo-kah-TEE-nee) is a type of pasta that is shaped like a long, narrow tube, resembling thick, hollow spaghetti. The pasta is traditionally produced and served in and around Rome, with the name originating from the Italian word buco, meaning “hole.” Also known as perciatelli, this pasta is boiled and served hot with tomato, meat, butter, cream, and seafood-based sauces.

I had picked up a box of this pasta a few weeks ago planning to use it to cook a pasta recipe from the
"Rome" section of Bibi's Italy book, but decided it would pair nicely (and quickly) with the garlic shrimp tonight. Plus, I really wanted a chance to experience the texture in a simple way. It was quite good. 

Garlic and Parsley Shrimp with Bucatini Pasta
Serving Size: 2
Cooking + prep time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

-6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
-2 cups coarsely chopped parsley
-3 servings of dried Bucatini No. 15 pasta 
-1/2 cup olive oil
-1/4 lb washed and dried shrimp
-juice of 1/2 lemon and 1/2 lime
-salt and pepper to taste

 1. Add the oil to a large saute pan. Cook the garlic until golden (don't burn it!)
2. Wash and prepare shrimp, soak for 15 minutes in fresh lime juice.
3. Add the parsley, cook until just wilted.
4. In a large pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil, salt to taste. Cook the pasta 9-11 minutes, until al dente.
5. Drain the pasta and add directly to the garlic and parsley. Squeeze half of a lemon over pasta, and then toss until evenly distributed.
6. In small saute pan, cook shrimp on low heat until pink, salt + pepper to taste. 
7. Plate the pasta, add shrimp directly. 
Enjoy! 

Make the pasta

 Well, I don't know about you, but I am THRILLED to be here. I have spent the last year (what a weird year!) doing some really big and messy things. In the middle of quarantine, when all of my favorite pasta restaurants shut down and ordering dinner meant waiting 3 hours for your food, I finally decided the time had come: with nowhere else to go, I would finally perfect my skill of pasta making. I had done this before a few times but I had never done it on my own.

As I do with most new ideas, I became manic and threw myself full force into an internet spiral watching Youtube videos of Italian grandmothers until 3AM, I found Pasta Influencers and home-cooks sharing their knowledge and reminding me that I need to set my eggs out to room temperature. I settled on my favorite recipes, then called my uncle (my personal expert) to discuss what I had learned. I spent weekends in my kitchen and got flour everywhere. I went through all of the flour in my pantry, then scrambled to find more. This was early April - everyone was buying flour, yeast was nowhere to be seen (maybe on the black market, who knows). Luckily, I was gifted a fresh stash and kept going. Once I felt comfortable with the hand cut basic Pappardelle, I moved onto my pasta machine. 

The first challenge was that the handle that came with the box (a gift from Uncle George) didn't actually fit the machine. My darling uncle attempted to mail me the correct handle - and suddenly we were back in business! After a few sloppy sheets, I figured it out. Well, I'm still figuring it out. Then it was all about the sauces. And then learning the art of raviolis. And then special shapes. AND THEN VIRTUAL PASTA! What a fun experience it has all been. 

And just a few weeks ago, I stumbled on a book that was the spark that finally turned dial all the way up to full blast. It was Biba's Italy, a lovely cookbook that shares recipes from cities across Italy, and I was hooked. Unable to travel to these cities, I traveled in my kitchen. 
I started reading and cooking furiously every weekend, creating 3-4 dishes at once on Sunday afternoons, to a playlist of classical Italian tunes playing in the background. I made a HUGE mess and an ABUNDANCE of food. And it was all SO GOOD. Suddenly, this entire process became familiar and necessary, I realized how rooted I felt with the food - how grounded and connected I became on so many levels. I'll discuss this more in another post later.... the transformation has been beautiful and messy and I'm forever grateful. 

Throughout this entire process, I had been searching for the "thing" that I would do next. I had an idea in my head that I would emerge as an artist. What I learned from the cooking was that I had it all inside of me already. When the idea of a food blog hit, it felt like a dam finally surged forward. That initial rush, and then the steady flow of ideas, concepts, and plans poured out of me. My pen on the pages in my notebook started flying and didn't stop for 5 more pages: blog titles, topics, concepts, strategies, lists and ways to grow and learn. After about 5 minutes of searching, I opened an Instagram account (@lindalovespasta), bought a domain name (literally, I did all of this Monday night on Oct 26 at about 8:45) and here we are now. 

So what is it all going to be about? Well, I think we will find out together. I have several blog ideas planned to write about. I will share recipes as I continue to cook, and I will share the lessons I learn as I go. I hope to write about local food destinations, family owned specialty shops, and of course my favorite pasta restaurants. When I can travel again, you betcha I'll be writing about our fantastic foodie indulgences. I dream of hosting community pasta and cooking classes - we can start virtual for now. I can't wait to host dinner parties again to share this abundance. As the seasons change, so will I and this blog. Maybe in spring, as I plant my early garden, new inspiration will grow. Come along with me, lets cook some good food and nourish ourselves well.  

Love&Pasta,

Linda 

PASTA BLOG

 Hey guys! Welcome to my PASTA BLOG, I am thrilled to be here with you! I can't wait to get started, great things are cooking! 

love&pasta,

Linda