In the comments on yesterday’s post, Eileen mentioned how easy it is to “forget” to sit down and eat a healthy lunch, even though she’s careful to pack a balanced, nutritious lunch for her daughter to take to school. I thought that was sort of ironic timing, since I was already planning today’s post–this is what I cooked for myself on Monday.
For the record, I love to cook for me, myself, and I. I don’t always, but sometimes, when I find myself alone at a mealtime, and I have time to mess around in the kitchen, I find that cooking something small and perfect, to eat up all by myself, satisfies me on many levels.
This particular dish is a summer standard, one that I’ve made many times, and it never fails to make me happy. The recipe is from Chocolate and Zucchini, the very first food blog I started reading ages ago. I pretty much always have the ingredients on hand, and the recipe itself is quick and easy, resulting in a finished product that seems, elegantly, to be more than the sum of its parts. Plus you get to learn a new way to cook pasta, and you can’t beat that for a good time.
Absorption Pasta with Zucchini and Cocoa
Makes enough for lunch, with leftovers for the next day, or a light dinner for two3 cups chicken broth or water
1 t. olive oil
1 large garlic clove, pressed
1/2 of a yellow onion, finely chopped
7 ounces short pasta (Clotilde recommends something like fusilli; I used whole wheat orzo, because it’s what I had)
2 small zucchini, cut into sticks or thin slices with a mandoline or sharp knife
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 T. cocoa nibs (NOT chocolate-coated), toasted in a dry skillet and coarsely crushed (or substitute toasted pine nuts)
good Parmesan, gratedPour the chicken broth into a large glass measuring cup and nuke it for a couple of minutes, so it’s hot.
Put a wide non-stick saute pan over medium heat, and when it’s hot, add the oil. Add garlic and onion and cook for about 2 minutes, until fragrant, stirring regularly to avoid coloring. Ad the pasta and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Add just enough stock to cover the pasta, and lower the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time and adding more stock as it’s absorbed. Five minutes into the cooking, add the zucchini and season with salt and pepper.
Taste the pasta for doneness. If it isn’t quite done and all the liquids have been absorbed, add a little more stock, cover, and cook for a few more minutes. Repeat until you’ve reached an al dente consistency; the total cooking time will depend on the type of pasta you used. Adjust the seasoning, transfer to bowls or plates, sprinkle with cocoa nibs and Parmesan, and tuck in.