Martha Stewart's One-Pot Pasta

Once upon a time, I saw a picture of a gorgeous platter of all different kinds of sliced tomatoes in Martha Stewart’s Living magazine.  I thought that it was the height of gardening chic to serve that at party with a smattering of basil and sliced mozzarella.  It took me five years of trial and error with growing different varieties of tomatoes until I found the right mix.

I was so proud the night I (finally) took the platter of my homegrown tomatoes to a party.  My friends quizzically looked at it with furrowed brows and one even stabbed a round of mozzarella with her index finger as they collectively asked, “What is it?”

I was crestfallen as I slid my whole untouched platter of accomplishment into the trash.  Completely devastated.  I turned my back on The Dominatrix of Homemaking and all her little minions that repeatedly spout, “Martha says!”

Time does help heal wounds, apparently, because in June I tried her one-pot pasta dish for family dinner.  I was curious.  Would it work?  And my dishwasher sounded like a diesel tractor stuck in high gear, so one less dirty pot sounded tempting.

The three of us sat around the table prepping our part of the pasta.  Then we dumped it into the large All-Clad skillet, added water, and turned the burner on high.  I moved the pasta around with tongs as it cooked and in ten minutes we were plating up our pasta dressed in a luscious sauce.  It was fantastic and My Kid even asked for me to make it again.

Oh Martha, you domestic vixen, you’ve redeemed yourself in my eyes, at last.  I’ll never be one of your whip carrying minions, but I appreciate a Good Thing when I see it.

One-Pan Pasta (adapted from Martha Stewart Living)

Here's my latest riff on her recipe.  I substituted Naturae's Whole Wheat Pasta because it's my favorite pasta right now.  I added the parmesan rind to add a creamier flavor without adding calories.  Use the ingredients that you have pouring out of your garden right now and enjoy!

• 12 ounces of whole wheat spaghetti or your favorite spaghetti or linguine
• 12 ounces Sungold tomatoes
• 1 large shallot sliced thinly
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 3/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 2 sprigs of basil, plus extra for garnish
• 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• parmesan rind
• 4 1/2 cups water
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

In a large skillet, place the pasta, cherry tomatoes, shallot, garlic, pepper flakes, basil, olive oil, salt, parmesan rind, and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Using your tongs, stir and move the pasta around as it cooks until it reaches al dente and a sauce has formed.  Mine took 13 minutes with the whole wheat spaghetti, but ten minutes with the durum pasta.

Divide in four bowls and top with freshly grated parmesan and torn basil leaves.  Serve.

An Affordable Feast

Last night, I stopped by Bamboo Sushi, after shopping at Xera Retail and before heading over to Portland Nursery, because a girl needs sustenance while plant shopping.  I have a sushi habit.  I adore the sushi as Bamboo Sushi and their happy hour is an affordable feast.  Plus, their service is excellent. Bamboo Sushi focuses on fresh sustainable seafood, so I feel guilt free as I savor my meal.

hand roll ($2)

The hand rolls are carefully prepared with layers of flavor. Affordable art.

The complimentary edamame are perfectly prepared and topped with a sprinkle of coarse salt.  I'm not usually a big fan of edamame but I enjoy these.

California Roll  ($4)

char grilled shishito peppers with miso butter and bacon ($4!)

I tried the Char Grilled Shishito peppers for the first time and the dish wowed me.  The peppers tasted smokey and sweet with just a hint of heat and the miso butter and bacon celebrated umami.  My Pirate would love it.

They pickle their own ginger.  It's delicious.

And learning their recipe for making pickled ginger would make my life complete.  But, at least I can take the extra home with me.

I enjoyed my happy hour dinner and then continued on towards Portland Nursery with their gift card burning a hole in my pocket.  I recommend stopping by Bamboo Sushi even if you don't like sushi because their other dishes are delicious too.  What is your favorite sushi restaurant?

Heading North: Day 2

Big Cedar

We pulled out of Ocean Shores, smiling as it receded in the rear view mirror, and headed to Seabrook, Washington.  Seabrook is a Sunset Magazine Idea Town and it felt like we were inside the pages of a Sunset Magazine.  It was the perfect Sunset Magazine coastal community.  All the front porches were welcoming with beach vignettes and clever house names.  Crushed oysters covered the pathways and I wanted to move in, immediately.  We hope to rent a dog friendly cabin there next summer.

As we were driving along Highway 101, we saw a simple brown sign with Big Cedar written in white letters.  I was curious so, we turned off to see the Big Cedar.  We drove a short ways (.3 miles) to a parking lot and walked a few hundred feet into a scene out of James Cameron movie.

I took pictures of a dad video taping his kids climbing the Big Cedar while the mom stood back biting her lower lip in worry. 

"Hey Dad, look at this!"
"Don't worry, son, I'm video taping you," said the Dad.
"Don't interrupt him while he's climbing!" the Mom squealed.

Then we continued on our way, laughing at how the windows of our truck cab fogged over whenever we closed the windows.  It was a beautiful wet day.

We stopped at Ruby Beach and went agate hunting:  one of my favorite pleasure.  I collected a few interesting rocks.  Then we sat down on the truck's tailgate and enjoyed some more of our picnic.

Ruby Beach

We headed to the Olympic Game Farm in Sequim, Washington.  I was totally humoring My Pirate.

For forty minutes, we drove through the farm.  Animals would stand beside the road with their mouths open waiting to be fed.

Feed me!

Here's some whole wheat bread for you!

Nom nom!

I enjoyed watching the kids interact with the animals.

Hey kid, hand me some more bread.

My Pirate woke up every bear that was happily sleeping in the mud by throwing bread near them.  Such an infuriating pirate.

And then there were the buffalo...they were the stars of the show.  We rolled down our windows and two buffalo stuck their heads completely in the cab of our truck.  And My Pirate dropped the bread!  The buffalo opened their mouths and stuck out their long tongues hoping to be fed.   Their breath smelled like fermented grass and stinky feet.  Charlie gently pulled the truck forward, the buffalo pulled back, and we both laughed until we cried.  I realized that I was covered in buffalo slobber and I suddenly missed Barnaby acutely.  I missed my little slobber monster and was ready to go home,  but we weren't finished with our road trip yet.

Road Trip to Ocean Shores

Our road trip up and around the Washington State Peninsula was a last minute adventure filled with fog, scenic rain forest views, expansive beaches, great seafood and time with My Pirate.  It was just what I needed.  And the very best part was the twinge of missing our dogs, garden, and home.

On our way up to Ocean Shores, we drove past Goose Point Oysters on Willapa Bay and made a quick U-turn to pick up some fresh oysters.  We bought a dozen oysters that were pre-shucked using High Hydrostatic Pressure.  I buy their oysters regularly at New Seasons and it was fun to poke around the place and take pictures.  

We stopped for the night at Ocean Shores and I never plan on returning.  Cars, mopeds, and horses were all over the fog encapsulated beach and the town was aimed at family fun.  I was looking forward to a quiet romantic walk on the beach that simply didn't happen there.  We dodged traffic, horse shit, and the 'natural' green bubbling slime in the water.  We laughed, rinsed off in the razor clam area, and went upstairs to enjoy a picnic and a movie in our room.  

We feasted and then I fell into a deep sleep and didn't wake up until morning; the first time since we adopted Barnaby.  So, I started the next morning with a kick in my step and a deep desire to leave Ocean Shores in our dust.  

In The Moment

Gardenia radicans 'Frostproof' glowing in the streetlight 

As the streetlights were flickering on tonight, I walked up my driveway munching on Sungold tomatoes out of My Victory Garden and the fragrance of a single gardenia blossom filled my senses and stopped me in my tracks.  I was no longer thinking about chopping back the cardoon or worrying about how Barnaby keeps dry humping the furniture.  I was suddenly centered in the moment, savoring the spicy sweet fragrance of a gardenia in my dry crispy August garden.  Moments like these are why I grow a garden. Why do you grow your garden?