Recipe Day! Fresh Tortelli with Spinach and Cheese
plus, what I'm eating and drinking from my sick bed
New here? Hi! Scroll down for the video link and all the way to the bottom for the recipe!
Hello Noonies!
Today’s recipe, for Fresh Tortelli with Spinach and Cheese, is inspired by a recipe in Fred Plotkin’s lauded title, The Authentic Pasta Book, which is shockingly out of print (though used copies can be found online and hopefully at your library).
I have had my copy of The Authentic Pasta Book since college. It was a gift from my mother, who was Fred’s editor on the book and knew firsthand how brilliant the recipes and writing were. There are no photographs in this book, but I never missed them. Fred’s knowledge is encyclopedic, but the way he writes about pasta and the proper way to do things is full of feeling—sometimes sassy, often pointed, and frequently uncompromising about the “right” way to do things. I appreciated the bossiness, and knowing I was at least attempting to do things correctly gave me a lot of confidence. I cooked through my copy in not one but two rental apartments in Providence, first in the one with the wall-to-wall carpeting in the kitchen, later in the one with the little butler’s pantry. Along with my roommates, we eventually made a tradition of cooking Plotkin’s carbonara after staying up all night writing final papers. You know—bacon (pancetta), eggs, and cheese. Made sense!
Making fresh pasta is a commitment, but so are a lot of foods. If you have ever watched a Pasta Grannies video or spent time on YouTube watching Italian women make fresh pasta, or just hung out with some 70-something Italian ladies when pasta was on the to-do list, you already know that there is often more than one cook in the kitchen. Making these solo may test you, but making them with one or two other friends (siblings, neighbors, roomies, lovers) will greatly reduce the labor and exponentially increase the entertainment. As we roll up on hibernation times, this is an ideal project for short, chilly days.
I am writing this today from my bed, as I’m befallen with the dread Coronavirus. I tested positive on Monday, mere hours after posting the first episode of my new podcast! It’s my second time getting it; the first was in 2021, I think?? My physical symptoms aren’t horrible—body aches, a bad sore throat, and fatigue—but that has not stopped me from acting like a giant baby and moaning and groaning a lot. Today I woke up craving pancakes, which I think is a good sign?
Here’s how I’ve been hydrating, sustaining, and entertaining myself during this challenging time.
Day one: Rice! This was leftover rice that I reheated with some spicy broth from my takeout the night before. Looking back, maybe I was already starting to feel crappy on Sunday night, which is why I picked up Szechuan braised beef noodle soup from the excellent Zhong Zhong down the street. I threw some bean sprouts on at the end because I had them and when you don’t use them, they promptly liquefy.
Also shown: the little glass bottle of Diet Coke, which delight me. The beverage is not as crispy as what comes out of a properly chilled can, but the allure of the glass can’t be beat. I combined that Natalie’s tangerine juice 50/50 with seltzer in my Stanley cup.
Day two: rice! Again! This was the rest of the cooked short grain I had in the fridge, plus some leftover basmati from Indian takeout last week. I cooked it with a bit of vegetable oil, pressing and tossing until it was fluffy and crisp, and then added about a cup of chopped kimchi and liquid.
Then I carved out a little space in the rice to cook an egg (kinda like toad in the hole), and threw the rest of the not-yet-liquefied bean sprouts and some chopped salted peanuts on top. Joined again by tiny Diet Coke bottle and a jar of Mama Teav’s.
Day two/dinner (?): Cheese toasties! This is a bagel that I cut crosswise into ovals, toasted plain to resuscitate and warm up (the bagel was a little stale if we’re being honest), then topped with mayo and grainy mustard. I added slices of cheddar and slid them under the broiler to melt. With cornichons for palate relief, ofc.
What will today bring?! Pancakes, I hope. We don’t know for sure, but Liquid Death will be involved. I am obsessed with Liquid Death. I’d take a picture but I can’t find my phone in all these covers and pillows.
I’ve been watching Monsters but sometimes I need a break (it’s so dark!). Joyously, a new season of Below Deck Sailing Yacht just premiered. Captain Glen! Daisy! GARY!!! Looking forward to RHOSLC tonight and RHONY this week too. I’m such a basic b*tch.