A quiet moment after a fun-filled weekend!
My nephew, threw a surprise 40th Birthday Party for his lovely wife on Saturday. Family and friends flew in from all over to celebrate. Friday night was dinner out with 2 of my siblings, spouses, and others. Saturday was the Big Event and then the After-Party at their home. Sunday was the Say Goodbye Gathering for the family flying back to California,.
It was a fun and fabulous time and every moment will be cherished – from The Littles who celebrate their fifth birthday in 2 weeks, to the 8 month and 6 month old new babies, to the niece and nephew who flew up to celebrate with their cousin, to folks we haven’t seen since their wedding 12 years ago. But… we’re old. Quiet is nice after a whirlwind weekend! And “whirlwind” has a totally different meaning at 73 than it does at 23. Gone are the days of getting home, brushing teeth, changing clothes and heading off to work… We’ve joined the Geritol for Lunch Bunch.
What we haven’t joined is the Door Dash Bunch.
And we’re not fast-food eaters. Or – with a couple of exceptions – frozen prepared meal eaters, either. By limiting our instant gratification foods, we’ve had to come up with alternatives… One is homemade pasta portion-packed and in the freezer.
And that’s what we had last night!
It was Cavatelli – this time with a quick pesto and fennel sauce.
Victor cooked dinner – he sautéed the fennel in butter and olive oil, added the pesto – we always have fresh pesto on hand – and added the cooked pasta and a topping of Parmigiano Reggiano.
A simple ending to a fantastic weekend!
Cavatelli
- 1 cup semolina flour (up to 1/8 cup more, depending on wetness of dough)
- 3/4 cup Tipo “00” flour (all-purpose if that’s what you have)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Mix flours and salt on board. Make a well and add the water and oil. Slowly mix the liquid into the flour forming a dough. Knead about 5 minutes. It really is made by ‘feel’ so adding a bit more flour or water is normal. Wrap and let rest about 30 minutes to an hour.
Roll pieces of dough into a thin rope and cut into 1/2″ pieces. Press and roll to make little shells.
Cook in salted boiling water. Drain and serve with your favorite sauce.