#FoodForThought: The Adventures of Fanny and Olive

Nov 3

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Fanny. No really - that is her actual name. She is a massive massive massive foodie, and would like to share with you all the adventures on all of the things she puts in her mouth. Wait, no - not like that ... I mean ... well, you know what I mean. Aw shucks, just hit it already Fanny ... </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's Fanny Slater

olive garden.

let's be serious here. i'm no mario batali. i'm a jewish girl from the south who was born in the north and cooks like my dad. what exactly is my cooking style, you ask? to tell you the truth, i guess i don't really have one. i love the kind of cooking that i grew up with. just because i'm from the south doesn't mean i'm a "southern girl." i'm proud as hell to be from north carolina, but seeing as my parents don't have country roots--i didn't grow up on delicious southern favorites like shrimp and grits or chicken fried steak. the food that i grew up with can best be described by one word: made-from-scratch. or is that three words? not the point. my parents always taught me that everything was better when you started from the very beginning. the sauce for chicken marsala doesn't appear out of thin air. well i guess it does if you buy it in a jar or order it at olive garden, but that's not how the foodie gods intended it to be. it's made with onions, and mushrooms, and fresh thyme, and marsala wine. don't make me say "love"--we all know that's the most important ingredient of cooking without me dropping that cliché bomb on you.

speaking of italian cooking, our story today is centered around the most italian ingredient of them all: PASTA! i decided to mix it up a little bit last night and cook with some shrimp. i found them already peeled and de-veined at the grocery store, which saved me time and the delightful job of touching shrimp poop. *foodie note: if you can only find shrimp de-veined, but not peeled, it takes about four seconds to pop their shells off. don't be lazy people.* since the portion was just for me, a handful only ran me three dollars! i marinated the shrimp in lemon juice, a splash of orange juice, cholula hot sauce, shallots, garlic, parsley, basil, salt, pepper, and lemon zest. a quick ride in the oven and they were done. and i mean QUICK. you know when you're in a tanning bed and you see that you're starting to get too much color? when your shrimp start to turn that beautiful white and pink, get them the hell out of the tanning bed. i mean oven. there is nothing worse than an overcooked shrimp. *foodie tip that will blow your mind: shrimp are done when they curl into a C shape. shrimp are overcooked when they curl so much that they form an O shape. O = overcooked. thank you shrimp, for making my life so easy. i'm sorry i ate you. wait. no, i'm not.*

pasta + shrimp + sauce = boring. therefore, i wanted to make sure that my pasta had lots to it.
...i never liked the kind of math where you had to use numbers. for my filler ingredients to poof up the consistency of the pasta, i sautéed leeks, mushrooms, yellow bell peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes.

let's just take a quick second to talk about leeks. i love leeks. i would wear them as earrings if people wouldn't judge me. every time i use them i realize that i don't use them as often as i'd like. did that make sense? they've got such a mild onion flavor without being as assertive as onions or shallots. *foodie note: only use the white/light green part of the leeks for sautéing. the green stalky parts can be bitter, so only use those in something like a homemade stock.* next time you want to add a little extra flavor to anything--scrambled eggs, a tuna melt, a quesadilla--sauté some leeks in butter with salt and pepper. i think they're fantastic. i'm surprised i didn't name olive "leeks".

great, i think she just got a middle game.

you can use any kind of pasta that you like, but i'm partial to angel hair with shrimp. once my pasta was cooked, i tossed the shrimp and veggies with the tomato sauce. i'm a big fan of making your own homemade marinara and and keeping it in the freezer, but i certainly don't hate on a good store-bought brand (especially when your pasta already has a lot of other flavors going on). okay, here it goes. are you ready for my secret? by all means, you can use it in your own kitchen. but if your cat asks you where you learned this--at least give me a shout out. i don't want my street credit in the feline world going downhill. how do i make my pasta sauces deliciously creamy yet light and not full of calories, you ask? save some of that leftover light garden veggie cream cheese from breakfast, and start throwing a scoop in your sauces. trust me. there is no better consistency for a yummy pasta dish, then light and creamy. to finish the dish off--i topped it with goat cheese, more fresh parsley and basil, and lemon zest.

okay, so i didn't make the pasta from scratch. and the sauce came out of a jar this time. but that's not the idea. it's not pulling every single ingredient out of the earth. it's about having the right blend of flavors, and textures, and fresh ingredients in your dishes. well look at that. an inexpensive, homemade, beautiful italian meal that i got to prepare and enjoy in my pajamas. i may not have gotten unlimited salad and breadsticks--but i also didn't have to tip the waiter.

boy i'm stuffed. olive, put on the espresso.