Pasta Not So Scampi

Feeds 2

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A four month hiatus from sanity is how I would describe my completely by-choice excursion from the realm of happiness. Not at all influenced by a government-mandated lockdown in a city I had moved to 2 days prior. Unambiguously my own doing and if anyone suggests otherwise I'll wholeheartedly... agree with them then proceed to cry on their shoulder in relief.

As a teenager, you look to your twenties as this magnanimous shade of rose. I saw all the most beautiful hues when I imagined my frolicking about Greece in some Donna Sheridan-esque flare pants - which to it's credit, bell-bottom is back and I couldn't be happier. Instead, whilst I've had a decent cut of shenanigans, I've had at least half a pie-full of confusion - and this last lockdown only served to make it worse. Throughout lockdown I wanted to want one thing so vehemently that every action I took was in pursuit of it. Then I cut & ran from Auckland the moment the border opened and my first night out of the city I stood watching the sunset with a glass of red as a light orange moon reflected on the water. A wave of calm brushed off some of the pressure I had been carrying and I felt a little clearer. Felt a little more sane. A little more happy. I don't really know what all this means yet, just that getting closer to nature is a step towards a better me somehow. Stay tuned for my brief dive into agricultural practices (just kidding) (maybe).

Aside from the (probably brief) exit of skinny jeans, my 20s haven't been the whirlwind never-ending soul excursion I expected. However, pasta doused in white wine has yet to go out of fashion, and that is a blessing we can all enjoy.

Did I do it again? Talk about myself then vaguely relate it back to the recipe in question? Yeah I did. xx

Recipe

Ingredients

• 200-250 grams of linguine (or any pasta of your choosing)

• 8 tablespoons of butter

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• 1/2 Red onion, diced

• 8 Cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

• 2 Red chillies, thinly sliced

• 400 grams (1 can) of butter beans

• 2 ears of fresh corn (aka corn on the cob), steamed & kernels removed from the cob

• 1/2 cup of white wine

• 1 teaspoon of fish sauce

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1/4 cup of fresh parsley (stems and leaves), chopped

• 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan

• Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

1. Melt the butter and olive oil in a skillet over a medium heat. Add your onions and garlic to the pan and sauté until softened (about 4-5 minutes). Then add half your red chillies, and season with salt & pepper. Sauté for 1 minute.

2. Salt a pot of boiling water & add in your pasta. Cook until al dente (save the pasta water).

3. Whilst your pasta is cooking, add the beans and half of the sweet corn to the garlic and onions. Sauté for 2-4 minutes.

4. Add the white wine & fish sauce to the beans and cook for 3-4 minutes.

5. Pour in a 1/4 cup of pasta water to the sauce then add in your al dente pasta (which should be ready to go roughly around the same time as the white wine & fish sauce have cooked down). Make sure to mix everything together to emulsify the sauce.

6. Take the pan off the heat then squeeze over the lemon juice. Stir through half of the parsley. Then serve & top with the rest of the chillies, parsley, corn, black pepper & the parmesan.

7. Enjoy!

Stay Salty,

Romy xx