Best laid plans...

So I consider myself a pretty decent cook.  I rarely get complaints and usually my food gets devoured pretty quick.  Now if that's because the people I cook for are not that discerning - we wont worry about.  But generally I can whip up some pretty tasty concoctions.  However - there are those occasions when something goes awry.  I rarely follow recipes to a T - they are generally considered suggestions and I often will make up things haphazardly.  This results in a lot of fun in the kitchen, surprising outcomes that usually are near impossible to replicate.

Yesterday I made a fantastic Spaghetti Putescana.  Which means Slut pasta in Italian.  Serious - it does.  So in my Whorey lunch - I had boiled up some spaghetti al dente, strained it and then and added some fresh chopped tomatoes, fresh basil chopped, and a handful of olives chopped.  I used the olives that were stuffed with garlic.   Stir that all up and sprinkle with shredded parmesean cheese, fresh ground pepper and some salt to taste.    It was mucho good - and there was minimal cooking involved.  You could add a clove of chopped garlic and a bit of olive oil too if you wanted.

Today - its hot out, and when its hot - my desire to stand in front of a stove and bake my boobages is rather low.  Real real low.  So I figure - I'll make what I made last night.  Quick, easy, tasty, who can resist a plateful of carbs?    I know I cant.  Only one problem - no more parmesean left.  Well who NEEDS parmesean - we will invoke the Holy Order of Substitution and all will be well.  What have we got?  We have goat cheese crumbles!  with herbs and thyme!  Its cheese, its crumbly - its PRACTICALLY parmesean. 

Do you know what goat cheese crumbles taste like over the hot garlicky, olivey, basily tomatoey goodness?

I'll tell you - it tastes like dirt.

After tasting the outcome I quickly start scooping the goat cheese crumbles off.  Luckily I had put it on top at the end instead of mixing it in.  It was tolerable after that - just a hint of earthiness.  Luckily for me?  I have a bottle of Friday's Mudslide in my fridge and nothing takes away the taste of dirt like Chocolately Mudslides.  Dirt... mudslides...  somewhere - someone is laughing down at me about this.

Spaghetti Putescana Recipe (non dirt version)

2 chopped tomatoes - I like the vine ripened
Fresh basil leaves chopped - about 2-3 stems worth
pitted olives chopped- 12 of em - any kind will do
Parmesean (NOT goat cheese) - enough to sprinkle over dishes
1 Tbsp of good Olive oil
Spaghetti

Boil spaghetti and cook for 1 minute less than the box directions tell you.  Drain and return to warm pot and place back on stove.  Mix the tomatoes, basil, olive oil, olives in to the spaghetti while its still hot.  Sprinkle generously with the cheese, and grind some fresh pepper and salt to taste.  Enjoy!

Comments

[Heidi]

Yeah, goat cheese can be a little uh...strange. The whorey pasta sounds yummy, though. As is your fabulous potato salad!

Mmmmm...mudslides...I earned my Mudsleidi nickname in Vegas during a bachelorette trip.

[Norma]

I LOVE puttanesca. My recipe is a bit different than yours -- it includes tons of garlic, capers and anchovies. Not for shrinking violets. But oh, so delicious.