A Tale of Two Pastas

Since our wedding two months ago, Matt and I have learned a lot about our backgrounds through our different instincts when it comes to food.  Neither of us are picky eaters, so the main difference has been in the place different starches hold in our minds.  For Matt, who is half Sicilian and grew up eating a lot of Italian food, pasta is a basic element of most meals:  If we go too many days without eating pasta, he feels like he hasn't really eaten dinner.

For me, with my hodgepodge Scandinavian/German/Irish ancestry, that central place is shared by hearty breads and potatoes.  I like pasta, but I don't feel that I've put a whole meal on the table if the pasta isn't accompanied by breadsticks, garlic bread, or the like.

Nevertheless, pasta is admittedly easier than fresh bread, and decidedly faster than potatoes, so we've eaten quite a bit of pasta in recent weeks as I've been working full days and haven't had the energy to bake for the next day when we get home at night.  We try to vary the pasta dishes, though, and have come up with a couple of good, simple versions that I wanted to share.

This is our variation on a ham carbonara, which is probably far enough away from the original recipe that we should find something else to call it entirely.  I basically omitted the sauce, which is what technically makes it carbonara, simply tossing the ham, vegetables and pasta with a touch of olive oil.

1 box pasta (we used farfalle, but any short pasta would work)
5-6 slices cooked ham, chopped into pieces about 1" wide
10-15 olives, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
olive oil
parsley
red pepper flakes
Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook pasta according to directions on box, making sure to use enough water (Matt says this is very important).  Drain and return to pot; add ham and vegetables, toss with olive oil.  Season with parsley and red pepper flakes.  Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

The ham carbonara is fast and easy to prepare, but looks impressive enough that I would feel comfortable making it if we were entertaining for dinner.  If you don't have the time to chop all of the little pieces, though, here is a pasta dish that comes together even more quickly:

Literally 20 minutes from walking in the door to sitting down for dinner, and so simple I don't even have a name for it.

Spaghetti
1 link sausage per person
1/2 c frozen broccoli per person
Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook spaghetti according to directions on box.  Add frozen broccoli to spaghetti pot a few minutes before pasta is done.  Slice sausages into 1/4" pieces.  Drain pasta and broccoli; add sausages.  Heat until sausages are warmed (about 5 minutes).  Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

As you can see, I did manage to serve this meal with bread: just a slice of Italian bread with a piece of mozzarella cheese on top, toasted under the broiler for a couple of minutes.