Dear C

I’m staying away from home now for a few weeks. While you’ve gotten married – mazel tov times a thousand! – I’ve been moving further away from marriage.

These days, cooking is an outlet. Cooking for one is a bit of its own thing, and I can’t say I love it. But that’s a topic for later. Perhaps later here in this letter.

So here I am alone in this kitchen and I made a great leek-based asparagus risotto. For me, risotto is always weird. Either underdone or overdone. I never get it right. But I made a couple while I’ve been staying here – both with the same rice, and the second one turned out better. Because I gave it a rest. That’s what I think. Who knows.

There are so many opinions about risotto.

But today I thought I’d make myself a pasta. I had half an onion sitting in the fridge and I thought I’d make it fancy with a can of beans. Here’s what I learned: you need to choose your pasta for your plan. I had angel hair, which was totally unsuited for what I had in mind. I did this beautiful caramelization of the enormous half an onion I had on had, with a sliced Meyer lemon, skin on, and I was feeling great about things.

I pureed a can of white beans and a few cloves of raw garlic, with some left over herbs. Cooked my angel hair. Added the angel hair to the onions & lemon and added the pureed bean mix and threw in arugula.

The result is not good. The angel hair pasta cannot withstand this robust mix of ingredients. It’s not holding up. Could’ve been great, but it’s not. Take from this what you will as a lesson for life. I am.

Sending you much love and fervent congratulations

M.