Picky Library Man Pasta

Picky Library Man and I went on a Mediterranean diet for a few months back when we were living in the land time forgot. This is significant, b/c the Mediterraneans only eat meat a few times/week, and PLM thinks it ain't a meal without a dead animal on his plate. But, for about three months we cut way back on our animal killing, and thus we ate this pasta every. single. week. It is to this day the only vegetarian meal he requests on a regular basis. This hardly constitutes cooking ... a trained monkey could prepare it. It's the perfect mid-week, crap-I-forgot-to-thaw-something-for-dinner dinner.

And so, I present to you ... Picky Library Man's Tomato Basil Pasta.

Here's what we're workin with today:

You might have noticed the conspicuous absence of tomatoes. I guess they were demon tomatoes that don't show up in photos, but anyway, there are, in fact, tomatoes in this recipe. You can either chop up some romas or use the canned diced stuff. Aside from the tomatoes, we've got spaghetti (ours is whole grain, thanks to Hot Young Asian Doctor, but you can use whatever kind you like), extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, and dried basil.

First boil some water and put a few shakes of salt in there -- doesn't really matter how much. I know some people religiously put oil in with their spaghetti-boiling water, but it's not always a good idea; it makes the noodles slicker than Snape's hair, which is not good if you want your marinara or alfredo sauce to actually mix with the pasta. For PLM's pasta, however, it's not a problem, so go ahead and pour a tablespoon or so of olive oil in there. (Punk-ass baby sister is a beginner, but I think even she has figured out what boiling water looks like, so there's no picture here. Hopefully everyone can cope.) Then add in your spaghetti.

Awesome. You've got about 5 minutes before you have to mess with anything, so this would be a good time to drain your can of diced tomatoes. *I* didn't drain them during this lull b/c I was distracted by a cat eating a coaster ... but I think this is when you should drain them.

When the noodles are almost done, dump enough EVOO in a wok or skillet to cover the bottom, and warm it up over low-medium heat.

Now measure out some minced garlic -- don't go too crazy, now, you don't want to overpower the basil.

And stir it in the oil. It should be sizzlin' hot, just like Brad Pitt.

BAM! Now measure out some basil -- gobs and gobs of basil -- toss it in the wok, and mix it.

Mmmmmmm. If you're cursed with an electric stove, you should turn the heat off now. If you have a gas stove, turn it all the way down. Go ahead and add in the maters.

Some might look at that picture and assume that I initially forgot this step, added in the spaghetti and then went, "Something's missing .... oh crap, the tomatoes!!" before frantically removing as much of it as I could. Again, cat .... coaster.


Anyway, The glob of tomatoes is probably kind of can-shaped, so go ahead and mix it up, and let the tomatoes marinate in the yummy goodness.

Your noodles ought to be done right about now -- take one out and give it a chew to see if it's soft enough. Oh, but don't forget to blow on it first or you'll burn your mouth and ruin the whole experience. Anyway, if it's good, drain it in a colander. Some might say that it's necessary to take the dirty dishes out of the sink first; I say it's only necessary to avoid them. Or at least give it your best shot.

At any rate, NOW is when you add in the spaghetti.

Mix, mix, mix.

If you don't have one of these spaghetti scooper things, treat yourself to this $1 wonder. I didn't have one in my first apartment and it was a pain in the ass trying to serve pasta. A few of you might have noticed that I'm not, ya know, THE most graceful person on the planet. Needless to say, me trying to scoop spaghetti with a fork and a wooden spoon was not a pretty sight.


This, on the other hand .... this is gorgeous.

Pair it with salad and a glass of chardonnay and you're in business. Or you can make like Picky Library Man and cover it with Parmesan -- whatever gets you goin'.

Enjoy!