When my brothers and I were young and not feeling well, my mother would bring us toast with butter and grape juice. Just the thought of it brings a warm, cozy hug to my heart. Isn’t that what comfort food does? Takes the past interlocking it to the present. What’s your comfort food?
Even though I’m not Italian, nor are my children, their comfort food was pasta—specifically, not just any pasta, but al dente spaghetti with butter and an egg yolk, or olive oil and Parmesan cheese. And, of course, it’s served on a tray in their room.
Here’s a new comfort food of mine, one that takes no longer to prepare than it does to cook the pasta. While the spaghetti is cooking, place a bouillon cube (preferably vegetable) in a pan, along with some heaping tablespoons of dried parsley, a healthy pinch of black pepper, smoked paprika, and a hint of garlic. Just before the pasta is al dente, remove about a cup’s worth of pasta water and add it to the pan with the dried parsley and spices, keeping the heat on low. Stir in about half a cup of cream. Once the bouillon has dissolved and the cream has thickened, add the mixture to the pasta, along with some grated Parmesan cheese, and swirl until well coated.
Of course, that’s the base, and it’s absolutely delicious. You can add whatever you want from there, but just that is so soothing.
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