A few months back, Ora and I were invited to a fellow artist’s home for a homecooked meal. I fell head over heels for this pasta dish and begged Mari for her recipe. A few days ago, she sent it to me. Today, I made my dreams come true.
Category Archives: bacon of my dreams
Mari’s Pasta Pomodoro!
Not the bacon dream, the pasta dream.
I dream about food a lot…
Mari’s Pasta Pomodoro
(lightly adapted)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 14.5oz cans of petite diced tomatoes (no spices or herbs added)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 package fresh whole wheat linguini (I used Buitoni whole-wheat linguine)
1. In a deep saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add minced garlic.
2. Saute until garlic is a light brown, about two minutes.
3. Add petite diced tomatoes, stir and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly.
(Sorry for the painful product-placement!)
4. Add salt and sugar, stir well and let simmer while pasta cooks.
5. Cook pasta according to packaging (Buitoni’s fresh pasta only takes 2-3 minutes).
6. Drain pasta and add to tomato sauce, then cook together until heated through, about 3 minutes.
7. Serve and top with freshly grated asiago cheese and fresh herbs.
Mmmm, delectable AND healthy!
At this point, I’d realized that I forgot to add a vegetable to my meal (yet again), so I roasted some broccoli and combined it with the pasta.
HOLY LUSCIOUSNESS DELICIOUSITY!
So healthy! Maybe too healthy…
A big glass of Dos Beckis should remedy that!
After an extra month of bottle-conditioning, Dos Beckis has taken on a lovely hoppy flavor!
I couldn’t be happier!
And maybe some rich foods on the road – that’s right!
Back to Carefree tomorrow morning!
Jinky’s Kanan Cafe!
I had lots of errands to run today in order to prepare for a special video recipe coming up.
Dun dun dunnnnnn!
My director and I swung by The Olive Vineyard around noon to pick up some special, super secret ingredients (what could I possibly be getting at an olive oil store? Who knows!) and I felt the rumblings of hunger in the pit of my stomach. After a glowing recommendation from the olive oil girl, we headed over to Jinky’s Kanan Cafe in Agoura Hills.
This is a small chain with restaurants in Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Santa Monica and now Agoura Hills.
They’re known for their ridonkulous varieties of chili.
Ridonkulous = ridiculous squared.
So. Much. Chili.
We got a sampler of four cups of chili: Himalayan beef, Hickory Turkey…
…Spicy Mango Chicken and Wild, Wild West.
SPICY!!!
The overall favorite was the Wild, Wild West chili – the only one that had beans. All the others were just crumbly meats in sauces, and not substantial enough to satisfy.
I ordered the Sedona chicken sandwich – grilled chicken, green chilies, red onion and melted cheddar on a fluffy bun.
MUST. RETURN!
I got a preview of their breakfast menu.
I’ve been known to dream about bacon. I really hope I don’t start dreaming about their pancakes.
My Day at Sofrita!
I ate five meals in a row at Sofrita. I’m not ashamed. I’m uncomfortably full, but definitely not ashamed. Part one:
After setting up the booth last night, I strolled directly across the street and plopped my tired butt down in the corner table of this darling little restaurant.
Don’t freak out, okay? I ordered… A SALAD!!! I think this may be the first salad I’ve ever ordered on the road – I tend to gravitate towards rich foods smothered in cheese, preferably fried.
The El Gran Combo – romaine, avocado, hearts of palm and fresh tomatoes drizzled with a coconut-lime vinaigrette.
I wandered back to the hotel, full of pride and greenery, blazed through a bunch of homework and aced a quiz. As I fell into the (clean, white, luxurious) bed, visions of crispy bacon danced through my head.
Seriously. I dreamt about bacon.
My dream came true! I went back to Sofrita for breakfast.
Huevos Nuevo Latino – eggs scrambled with roasted winter vegetables, served with warm tortillas, fresh salsa and fruit salad. I ordered a slice of bacon on the side.
They gave me four.
I LOVE THEM.
I had the Cran-Raspberry Chicken Salad – grilled chicken breast with dried cranberries and raspberry mayo on crusty, whole grain bread.
Okay, I only told the partial truth. We had dinner tonight at Redendo’s, but to be fair, it is the sister restaurant of Sofrita.
My dinner consisted of half a glass of Chianti, and an eighth of this huge plate of pesto pasta with goat cheese.
We accidentally (seriously, it was an accident) ordered a “bottle of sangria” when we meant “bottle of Chianti”, so we had this pretty little number dropped off at our table.
I have never had sangria before.
I was moved by this drink.
I was so moved by it that when we retired to the hotel, we decided to go over to Sofrita and experience it again.
This is their winter sangria – blueberries, cranberries, grapes and an orange slice.
We split the chocolate cinnamon bread pudding – rich, luxurious and steaming hot, and then floated across the show grounds back to the warmth of our hotel.
And here I sit. So happy, so blessed, so uncomfortably full.