This has been such a long week. Up until today, it’s been chilly and raining and all-around dismal. Everyone’s been a little “off” and sleepy-crabby. It’s been enough that we’ve been eating out almost all week, so tonight, I put an end to it by making a simple Pasta with Butter and Parmesan.
Pantry staples make a decent meal. That, and about all we have for meat is some frozen bacon, which I’ll use for something else…Although, had it been thawed, it would’ve made a nice addition. Everything’s better with bacon.
But this too was good. An easy, comforting meal, that capped off a somewhat crappy week.
But spring’s supposed to stick around for awhile now, and at least today was sunny. I shouldn’t complain…The week wasn’t ALL bad. Wednesday morning, I DID manage to get my hands on two tickets to see The Replacements in St. Paul! And thank the gods, because the presale Wednesday and the one Thursday sold out in about 10-15 minutes (adding the two together). Tickets for the public go on sale tomorrow morning. To be a dork and to (obviously) quote the band, “I can’t hardly wait.” It’s gonna be a long time till September!
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Stir in the butter, a tablespoon at a time. Thin with the pasta water, if necessary. Stir in the Parmesan, about a 1/4 C at a time--The cheese will melt, and likely will clump a bit. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with additional Parmesan, if desired.
This is rather similar to the Cacio e Pepe I’ve made before. As with that, my cheese basically clumps up–And while I might not use fresh-from-Italy-perfectly-aged Parmigiano-Reggiano like I’m sure Gwyneth does, my plebeian Wisconsin cheese is fine. But if anyone has any secrets to getting it to (for lack of a better term) emulsify, please let me know. Still, clumpy Parmesan’s not necessarily a bad thing. But I should probably just stick to topping the pasta with it.
Pasta with Butter and Parmesan
Ingredients
Instructions
And now, I must make myself a Costco list, as we’re headed to Sioux Falls tomorrow! Hooray for shopping in bulk!