The Gouda Life

The excitement is starting to grow thick like molasses in the late summer air. Can you feel it?
No?
Oh, maybe it’s only me who has a momentous occasion coming up. And on second thought, I think I might have mistaken the smell of excitement for love. 

This Sunday my big sister, my only sister..and sibling for that matter, Laura is getting married! I can’t believe it’s here so soon. It felt like yesterday they were announcing their engagement, but here we are, tomorrow kicking things off with the Rehearsal Dinner. After 6pm tomorrow night, it will be a whirlwind of love and excitement and dancing and love and then more dancing and more love. Isn’t that the best? I sure think it’s pretty un-freaking-believable. 

Before we get going tomorrow, I wanted to be sure to get just one more recipe for you lest I get sucked into a wedding-induced euphoria and never come back. Totally plausible. 

As you may or may not have heard 300 times, I’m a really big fan of pasta. Especially when it’s a really simple bowl of pasta with a few good seasonal ingredients that really shine. 

When I came home last week, claiming ‘there’s nothing to eat’ as is customary, I started stubbornly opening and closing cupboards until I had what maybe, sort of, might pass for a meal. What was eventually to be piled in a bowl in front of me was shockingly good. A dish I’m likely to make again and again. Especially when there’s nothing to eat. A bowl of perfectly simple ingredient. Aside from your big sister’s wedding, what could be better than that? 



Rigatoni with Sliced Asparagus, Navy Beans and Mint/Basil/Lemon Oil

I love rigatoni in this dish because it’s ridges and big tubes catch a lot of he sauce as well as the asparagus and beans, but if you’re not a fan, please feel free to use a pasta of your choice. 

1lb Rigatoni
Small bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed
1 can navy or white beans, rinsed
1/3 cup loosely packed basil
1 cup loosely packed mint + extra leaves for garnish
Zest from 1 lemon
2 tbsp of lemon juice
1/4-1/3 cup good quality olive oil, plus more for finishing
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook to al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of starchy pasta water. 

Slice asparagus as thinly as you can on a sharp angle until you have about 1 cup of pieces. 

To make oil:
Add basil, mint, lemon zest + juice and olive oil to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. If it’s too dry, add more oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 





Once pasta is cooked, add the asparagus and beans and toss to combine with pasta. Asparagus should brighten as it heats up. Add the oil a few tablespoons at a time until you have enough to coat the pasta. Add Parmesan and add pasta water a few tablespoons at a time until your sauce becomes slightly creamier. 

Spoon into bowls and garnish with mint leaves and extra shaved Parmesan. 



Off I got to celebrate the love of two wonderful people! Have a lovely long weekend, everyone! 


She might kill me, but it’s too cute a photo not to post. HAPPY WEDDING TO MY BEAUTIFUL SISTER AND HER SOON TO BE HUSBAND, COREY!
[photo credit: Kronick Photography] 

What a strange week it’s been so far. The weather here is borderline schitzophrenic and I’m not sure if I should put on another coat or start planting my tomatoes.

I always find the transition from one season to the next a little tough. The anxiousness of knowing that sunshine and warmth is just around the corner makes it all the more hard to get through these last few weeks of cold, ice, and yes, even a surprise blizzard! Just in case you got a little too cocky and wore your shorts out prematurely. Yes, you! The gentleman I saw rollerblading down Bank St in shorts. RELAX! It’s not time yet and you’re scaring away all the spring! Put your pants back on and give it a rest.



I’ve been trying to sneak in all the carby, cheese-filled, braise-heavy dishes I can in the last week or two, knowing full well it will be 30, humid as anything, and dangerously hard to move in no time at all. Summer has a way of kicking through the door like a masked intruder in this city. One minute you’re enjoying a cool spring breeze on your face, marveling at how lovely it is to be able to sit outside at all, the next you’re taking 10 cold showers just to be able to sit still without sweating. Or maybe it’s just me. I doubt I have to tell you my feelings on summer. And if you don’t know, well oh boy, you will.  

Much like our weather, dinner tonight was also a little schizophrenic. The pasta making it heavy enough to feel comforting enough for a winters eve, but the addition of lemon, both zest and juice, making it feel fresh, springy and surprisingly light. Confused has never tasted so good.



This recipe, originally followed from Cooks Illustrated, has been a regular spring guest at my table for a few years now. It’s simple, fresh and light, and other than some lemons and basil, consists mostly of pantry staples. Perfect weeknight pasta for one, two, or a whole table of guests.

Lemon & Olive Oil Pasta with Basil

I used rotini because it just happened to be what I had on hand. Feel free to use your favourite pasta. Spaghetti and linguine are both excellent for this.

1 pound pasta
1.5 tbsp lemon zest (about two lemons)
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup cream or buttermilk
1/4 cup good quality olive oil
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan
1/4 cup (handful) of fresh basil, chiffonaded
extra Parmesan and olive oil to garnish
salt and pepper

Bring a large pot filled with salted water to a boil over high heat. When boiling, add your pasta and cook until just slightly under al dente. It won’t taste quite finished yet. Reserve 1.5 cups of pasta water. 



Strain your pasta and set aside. Put the pot back on the stove and add the lemon zest, half of the lemon juice, olive oil, 1 cup of pasta water, and cream. Boil over medium-high heat for a few minutes until reduced slightly. Add your pasta and parmesan cheese and stir until combined. Give it a quick taste for seasoning. If you think it needs more lemon juice, add the rest. If it needs a little more liquid, add the rest of the pasta water. When the liquid is absorbed, remove pot from heat and add the basil.





Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, parmesan and a few grinds of pepper.

I’ve just finished reading [er..plowing through with reckless abandon] A Homemade Lifeby Molly Wizenberg, who is also the creator of the ever brilliant Orangette. What a great book. If you blog about food [or even if you don’t] - I highly recommend you read it.

It was romantic. And not in the sense you’re thinking…romantic in the way that only moving to Paris to find yourself could be. Romantic as in weaving your way through cobblestone roads and street vendors, seeking out the best ingredients and making yourself a simple, fresh dinner as you sip cheap Beaujolais and watch the lights of the Eiffel Tower..ahhhh…what? Sorry… I must have drifted off there.

It was lovely. Every chapter brought a story that felt at least somewhat relevant to my own life. Reading it was like reading through what it would be like if I wasn’t mildly [massively?] terrified to do something like that. Along with stories came some deliciously inspiring recipes.

Which brings me to my point after much rambling. Salad! Delicious, simple, fresh salad.

Asian Pear & Fennel Salad

2 medium-large fennel bulb
2 medium-large Asian pears
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Coarse salt (good flake salt is best!)
Parmesan

Cut the stalks off the fennel and use a sharp knife/vegetable peeler to trim away any soft spots or bruises. Cut the bulb in half from root to stalk and trim off the root end. Slice the fennel quite thin (around 1/4” thick) as you can using a knife or mandoline (I sliced mine much too thick! It makes for awkward bites.) Set aside.

Core the pear and cut it in half. Again, slice as thin as possible.

In a bowl or plate, arrange a layer of fennel and drizzle with olive oil. Next, arrange a layer of Asian pear. Sprinkle with salt and give it a good squeeze of lemon juice. Repeat this until you have no pear/fennel left. Using a vegetable peeler, shave as many pieces of Parmesan as you’d like over the salad. Give a final drizzle of olive oil and a good dusting of fresh pepper.

Let me say from experience - it tastes just as special for one as it does for two!