One Pot Pasta

My first word was spaghetti, after the classic mum and dad. Actually, my first word was ghetti. Yes, my love of pasta runs deep and it is one of the true lasting relationships of my life.

Similarly, my hatred of washing up also runs deep so the idea of one pot pasta is one I am very much on board with. One pot? Dinner ready in less than 15 minutes? A creamy sauce without cream or any weird vegan substitute? Yes, yes, and yes.

When I first gave this a try I used a recipe I saw on pinterest (my food board on pinterest is one of my happy places) but I personally found it a little tasteless - maybe because my tastebuds are deadened after 23 years of adding 4 cloves of garlic to everything I eat. 

So, here's the recipe I've landed on after a few tries...

What you need:

• Wholewheat spaghetti (however much based on however hungry you are)
• Onion x 1
• Olive oil x 1 tbsp
• Tomatoes x 400g (I like a mixture of baby plum and cherry tomatoes)
• Garlic x 3 cloves 
• Tomato puree x 3 tbsp
• Basil x a handful of leaves shredded
• Salt
• Pepper
• Dried oregano x 2 tsp
• Water

What you do:

Finely dice the onion and chop the tomatoes roughly in half.

Add everything to the pan, putting a few leaves of basil to the side.

Add water until it covers everything.

Put the pan on a roiling boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn't stick.

Keep an eye on the pan - you may need to top up the water bit by bit.

Finally, add the extra basil, serve, and eat until you feel a bit sick because you've had so many carbs.

Bookshelf: Widow Basquiat

I asked for this book for Christmas, going against the age old wisdom of not judging a book by its cover. It looked interesting and the cover reminded me of Just Kids, an excellent book written by Patti Smith.

In fact, the entire book reminded me of Just Kids, and I'm sure I'm not the first person to make that comparison. The story is similar, two young artistic individuals living in New York and navigating art, music, fame, drug addiction, love, infidelity, abuse, self-destruction, and creativity. I would say mostly, I felt that this book was about strength, and where and when we find it.

It follows the early life of Suzanne Mallouk, Jean-Michel Basquiat's great love and his 'widow' (though they never married). Their relationship is unconventional, intense, and wholly unique - at times you might long for the love, respect, and connection they seem to have and at other times you will be thankful you're not caught up in what is an abusive relationship.

To tell the truth, when I first opened Widow Basquiat I was unsure - it does not look or read like your regular old book. It is poetic, brief, and lucid. I particularly enjoyed the way moments are recalled and linked, language is paralleled across chapters, and ideas are echoes subtly throughout the text.

It is an intense read: there is heavy drug use, racial politics, AIDs, physical and mental abuse. Clement has not provided us with a late night easy read - more a tumultuous whirlwind of a book. But it does have a magical quality, that spirit of creativity that makes me want to go and make something. It details the elusive carefree artistic lifestyle I've always felt pulled towards - although I'll take a pass at the not so romantic aspects, aspects that Clement thankfully does not ignore.

If you do buy it (and I think you should, it's a very interesting book) I recommend keeping google open whilst you read unless you have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the international art scene of the time. I searched paintings, people, songs, locations, and ended up in an Andy Warhol-fueled 3 hour internet hole, which is not the most productive way to spend an afternoon.

Clement captures the voices beautifully, imaginatively, and authentically and does not hide the rough realities and flaws. It is an intimate portrait of a highly interesting and devastating relationship, and I wanted to give it to the person next to me as soon as I finished it.