Case Med is all about self reflection and peer assessment. We are constantly being asked to evaluate not only our own performance in class but also that of our classmates. Along with quite a few “she talks a lot” and even one “sometimes she can be captain distracto” (that one’s my personal favorite), I’m often told that I’m a very excited individual. To be honest, I’m not so sure that is always meant as a compliment, but I’ve decided to take it as one…mostly because it’s true, and I don’t want to do anything to change it.
When I come up with a new idea or decide I want to try out a new hobby, I get so excited that I become myopically focused on the new goal. A couple of weeks ago I decided I wanted to start biking, and within 2 weeks I had managed to acquire a new bike and all the amenities for a whopping $11.50 (no joke. you can find the best deals at garage sales). Same thing goes for my cooking. A couple of days ago I found a picture of mouth watering pasta. It was labeled “Lemon Garlic Pasta”. I had to figure out how to make it.
I was excited.
What you need:
- 1/2 lb linguini
- 1 tbs butter
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs marsala (or sherry) cooking wine
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4-1/3 cup lemon juice (depending on how lemon-y you want it)
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 2 tbs capers
- 10-12 basil leaves, chiffonade
- zest from 1 lemon
What you need to do:
- Boil water in a large pan/pot and cook the pasta until it’s al dente. Drain and then set aside for later.
- In a large sauce pan, sauté the garlic in the melted butter and olive oil.
- Add the wine to the sauce pan and let cook for about a minute.
- Turn off the heat and add the pasta back into the pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, parmesan, capers, basil, and lemon zest then add the mixture to the pan. Stir to combine everything.
- Give the cheese a minute or two to melt then serve and enjoy!
If my mom is responsible for the cooking side of me, my dad is entirely responsible for the medicine side of me. He had a groundbreaking career in interventional neuroradiology before passing off the baton to my sister and myself. In fact, he retired just weeks before my white coat ceremony in 2009. After I had gotten my coat he turned to me, smiled, and said: “Hey, I was in your shoes forty years ago!”
It’s nice to know that even exceptional people start from basic ingredients.
Something else happened that weekend: my dad had a bran muffin at Presti’s and pronounced it the best he’s ever had. A few trips home since then, I’ve managed to tow a slightly squashed muffin for him to enjoy with his morning tea.
He turned sixty on Monday, and in his honor I tried to rival the Presti’s paradigm with a bran muffin recipe from The Cheeseboard Collective Works. Weirdly, the recipe contains absolutely no sugar, which I realized only after the batter was finished. I’m not going to share the recipe because it was not my desired replica. This post is more of a plea for any Clevelander to try the Presti’s muffin and tell me how to make greatness from scratch.
Perhaps one of the few good things about summer drawing to an end is the plentitude of fresh tomatoes and basil (I realize these things were available through most of summer, but now is the time to pick all of those delicious treats before the first frost sets in). There are so many delicious things you can do with these two basic ingredients (mmmmmm…bruschetta...), and one of my absolute favorites is a fresh mozzarella and tomato salad – or if we want to call it by it’s proper name, insalata caprese. It sure looks fancy, but it’s pretty basic (the ingredients that is, not the taste).
What you need:
- 1 lb mozzarella (my favorite supermarket brand is BelGioioso, which is available at costco!)
- 3 or 4 large tomatoes
- a handful of fresh basil leaves
- olive oil (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup)
- balsamic vinegar (about 1/2 cup)
- garlic salt to taste
What you need to do:
- Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella.
- Arrange the tomato slices, mozzarella and basil on a plate so they look pretty.
- Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top of the salad (it’s up to you how much you want to use).
- Sprinkle a little garlic salt on top.
- Salivate as you carry the salad to the dinner table.
- Dig in and enjoy!
4 ingredients. It’s like the bare minimum you wear when going out — underwear, shirt, shorts, shoes. You could accessorize, but you’re entirely appropriate as you are.
Ingredients
- crunchy peanut butter – start with 1/2 cup
- lime juice – 1 Tbsp at a time
- soy sauce – 1 tsp at a time
- chili powder – 1/4 tsp at a time
Start with the peanut butter, and add the other ingredients one part at a time. You should be able to pick out all the flavors. Add water if necessary to achieve that saucy consistency.
