When the cat's away...

The husband has ventured to the midwest for a few days for work, leaving me and Sophie to our own devices. It's reminded me of the couple of years I lived alone, pre-husband. Back then I had Frances, who was around the age Sophie is now.  A girl and her dog is a tough combination to beat.

Soph has gotten to sleep on the bed while I've been been free to watch whatever idiotic  television I feel like. I've also been able to eat weird solo food, as my friend Liz and I call it. Cooking for one is not necessarily fun or exciting, but it frees you up to do whatever you like, without thought of how balanced or pretty it is. You can also eat things your partner doesn't love. Like eggplant.

This week, right before the husband left, we got our produce box. As if the stars were aligned, it contained one lovely, flawless eggplant, swaddled in a paper towel to keep its beautiful purple exterior from getting nicked. I pulled it out of the box and cradled it happily. "I'm going to eat this whole eggplant myself," I said, beaming, to no one.

I had big dreams for my eggplant baby but in the end, what I did was neither fancy nor involved.  I sauteed the diced eggplant in a pan with some olive oil. After it softened, I threw in some chopped, seeded heirloom tomatoes and minced garlic, salt, and pepper. I let that cook down for awhile. Then I added a handful of pitted kalamata olives and a sprinkle of parsley. Finished it with a dash of red wine vinegar.

I tossed this with cooked farro, scooped some into a bowl, and topped it with a dollop of ricotta. There was also a final grating of parmesan, which came after the photo was taken.

I have to tell you, this was a very good dish. I would eat this dish in a restaurant!

Who knew weird solo food could also be so delicious?

Blackberry upside-down cake

Here's another one I made ages ago and never got around to posting. Luckily, blackberries are still in season!

This cake reminded me of this cake, combined, say, with a clafoutis. Actually, you know who compared it to a clafoutis was my friend, Stacie, who I gave some to one day when she stopped by. Stacie knows that the answer to, "Do you want a piece of this cake?" is always "Yes," never "I'm on a diet" or "I just had dessert." What the hell do any of those things have to do with eating a delicious piece of cake? When offered, you eat it. Goodness knows life may throw enough unpleasant surprises your way; if you get an unexpected piece of cake, you eat it.

Here is a top view.

I had a little trouble getting the powdered sugar (which was my own addition--a cake needs something to finish it off) to stick. It just kept melting into the berries over and over, even when the cake was perfectly cool. So, I think the cake ended up getting sweeter than it should have, but I'll be the first to admit it didn't bother me. Have we discussed my raging sweet tooth?

You can find the recipe here, and like so many others, I have no doubt this would be divine with an array of other berries. The raspberry is King Berry in our house (the way the almond is King Nut) but I enjoy the blackberry and I can certainly dig the blueberry too. In the summertime, you just go with the flow.

Summer in San Francisco

Summer in San Francisco is the worst, and if you don't believe me, here is a series of pictures I took a couple of weeks ago as we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. Remember, this was mid-June.

No, that's not rain, it's fog. See how people have their lights on?

As you're driving across the bridge, you just have faith that it's all intact because you really can't see more than a few feet ahead of you. Someday, it might not be there, and I guess then your number's up. 

I don't mind the fog, for the most part--like the hills, it's an oddity of San Francisco that I tend to like more than dislike. It makes the city unique. When I go places that are flat and warm, I enjoy them, but I also miss my city a little.

But sometimes we have to get out, see the sun, get some vitamin D. On this particular day we headed up to Marin where instead of being smothered by fog we got bathed in sunshine. Marin is beautiful, dry, sunny, and blue skies.

We had sandwiches and Arnold Palmers outside Cowgirl Creamery and even Sophie enjoyed some nibbles or two.

On the way home, we were all in a good mood.

In the evening, rejuvenated but also a little drained from time in the sun, I threw together a pasta I've been making a lot recently, because it's both delicious and quick. I know I didn't invent this, but I still think of it as one my "my" pastas. If you like shrimp, it'll be up your alley. If you don't, well, you're out of luck.

Spaghetti with shrimp, arugula, and tomatoes

1 lb.spaghetti
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
olive oil
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
pinch of red pepper flakes
a few handfuls of arugula
grated parmesan, for serving

Bring water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat a few tablespoons of oil in a big frying pan over medium-high. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes, turning once, until just done. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Lower the heat slightly. Add the garlic and cook briefly until it's fragrant. Add tomatoes, red pepper, salt and black pepper to taste. Scrape the bottom of the pan to pick up any shrimp bits. Bring to a simmer, then turn down to medium-low. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until slightly reduced.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti. When it's done, set aside a little of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, along with the shrimp and as much arugula as you like. I like a lot. Toss, adding some of the pasta water if you want to get the consistency you're looking for. Check for seasoning, then serve in shallow bowls with grated parmesan.