DISCLAIMER:
This blog will eventually get to the food/cooking/recipe aspect that it was initially intended for. I’ve taken a slight detour along the way and have started incorporating other bullshit into my blog, as I need a safe space to express myself and the world today is not a very safe place at all (no more abortion in the state of Alabama… like WTF? I guess we’ve gone back to the dark ages…. don’t even get me started, we live in a fucking sickening time in history… how did we let it come back to this????).
If you’re wondering why I haven’t posted lately (which I doubt you are, since no one actually reads this piece of shit blog…), I’ve been too busy being a cat-mom (basically a full-time job within itself… unless you’re actually a BAD cat mom), and cleaning non-stop (obviously my TRUE calling in life).
Yes, what a gripping life I do lead! (I want to say that’s a line from Notting Hill, but I could be wrong… might be Bridget Jones… I used to be OBSESSED with Hugh Grant when I was 12… I still might be… I digress).
If you didn’t read my last blog, please do – it’s writing I’m actually really excited to share and want to do more of/with. I have way too much fun writing this kind of stuff. For the next installment of ‘Indigo Wren,’ Indigo is going to sail his hand-crafted raft to France, make his way to Paris, and then attempt to live like Ernest Hemingway while also becoming gender neutral. I know… this blog has basically evolved from what was originally supposed to be a food/cooking blog into the madcap nonsense of yesteryear (aka, the shit I used to write on my old blog, God rest its soul). Yes, I’m twisted.
Last week, I spent basically the entire week cleaning up after my sick cats; first Tuna (the kitten), followed by Mr. Peeper. I took Tuna to the emergency vet that’s open 24/7 last Tuesday, after several psychotic, older women on the ‘Persian Cat Health Board’ I belong to, and subsequently posted to, advised me to do so, IMMEDIATELY!!! Their reasoning was that I should bring Tuna to the vet ASAP since he is still a little kitten and was basically shitting his brains out in addition to vomiting last Tuesday night – they said he could dehydrate and die easily. Obviously, that freaked me out and since they’re all cat experts and/or breeders, I listened to their advice and I went. The 24/7 vet not only cost a pretty penny (which I would have preferred to spend on new heels and/or partying), but it also ruined my entire Tuesday evening since I didn’t get home again until after 11 p.m. and then couldn’t sleep until 2 a.m.. In case you’re wondering why I haven’t cooked anything noteworthy lately (which you’re not, because you probably order take out every night), it’s because I’ve been so tired and busy raising a kitten that I have no energy left when it’s time to cook.
Luckily, Tuna was fine and was back to his crack-baby self the next morning (he didn’t swallow any objects and doesn’t have any terminal illnesses – what a relief). However, whatever he did have must have been a virus which he then passed it onto Mr. Peeper, and it was 10 times worse for poor Peeps. Peeps started throwing up Wednesday night around 10 p.m., and threw up 6 more times before I went to bed at 1:30 a.m.. He also had a couple of explosive BMs (Bowel Movements), if you know what I’m saying…. (sorry for being gross, but it’s true). I hadn’t slept much the night before because of Tuna, and then I had to stay up a second night in a row cleaning cat vomit and worried about my baby Peeps.
I hoped he’d be better when I woke up the next morning, but I walked out of the bedroom to a living room/kitchen/bathroom area covered with at least 6 additional puke spots. But the worst part, if you must know, was that poor Peeps was laying behind the curtains in the living room window, with the 6:30 a.m. intense, dawn sunlight coming in directly upon him, not moving, non-responsive, not hungry for breakfast, and totally covered in his own shit. Good morning indeed! I started crying because I thought he was going to die… he didn’t even acknowledge me when I came out of my bedroom and he didn’t want breakfast.
I called out of work immediately and spent all morning giving Peeper a bath (he hated me, but was so weak he hardly tried to escape), cleaning the floors, disinfecting everything, and feeding him liquids out of a syringe. Yes… I transformed into a nurse. I thought I was going to have to drop another $300 I don’t have on the vet, and I happily would have it meant making my baby better, but luckily he didn’t throw up or shit again and kept down the combo of goat’s milk and Greek yogurt I gave him… I’m basically a registered cat nurse now.
Anyhow. I haven’t had time to cook anything that spectacular lately. I did make a pretty legit seafood risotto on Friday of last week, once the house was clean, the cats were better, and I finally had some ambition.
The dish I made the week prior though is where it’s really at:
Yes, this dish was time consuming as hell to make, and it took a lot of ingredients… but it’s fucking worth it (just like you, darling).
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 bag of small potatoes, unpeeled and diced, OR… 3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1/2 medium white (or yellow) onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 1 cup, diced cherry/grape tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen sweet corn (preferably shaved off the cob)
- 1 lb. mussels, steamed and de-shelled
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups dried, gemelli (or similar shape) pasta
- 4 Tbs. olive oil
- 3 Tbs. butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 2 Tbs. freshly chopped parsley
DIRECTIONS:
- Rinse/clean the mussels and then steam them until they open!
- Once mussels have opened and are cool enough to handle, de-shell and set the meat aside in a bowl
- If you’re working with a bag of small potatoes, dice them; If you’re working with three large potatoes, peel the potatoes first and then dice them
- Heat some olive oil and/or butter in a wok or large saucepan over medium heat
- Sautee the diced potatoes in olive oil and/or butter until soft (aka penetrable with the tines of a fork)
- Add the sweet corn into the saucepan and cook until it’s fully de-thawed
- Set 1/3 of the diced potato/corn mixture aside (I just threw it on top of the mussels), and put the other 2/3s of the potato/corn mix into a blender, with a cup and a half of chicken stock – pulse until completely blended (add more stock as necessary until liquid is a thick consistency)
- Cut the cherry/grape tomatoes into halves and set aside
- Heat the butter and/or olive oil in a wok or large, deep saucepan
- Add in the minced onions and sautee over low-medium heat until translucent
- Add in the garlic and sautee another minute (*DO NOT BURN GARLIC*)
- Add in the halved tomatoes and sautee until they become glossy and soft-ish
- Add in 1/2 cup dry white wine and simmer for about 2-3 minutes
- Add in the potato puree (the stuff you blended)
- Add in more chicken stock if necessary and heavy cream
- The sauce should be thick-ish, yet not so thick that it can’t fully coat other ingredients that will be added shortly!
- FOR THE PASTA:
- In another pot, bring heavily-salted water to a boil
- Add in the gemelli (or other similarly-shaped-pasta), and boil until al dente (do NOT cook until soft… it will finish cooking IN THE SAUCE)
- Drain and set pasta aside!
- BACK TO THE SAUCE:
- Throw in the rest of the potatoes/corn mixture that was previously set aside (this adds texture and makes the dish more aesthetically pleasing than if everything had been blended into a puree)
- Add in the seasonings: Salt, pepper, dried basil, dried oregano
- Add in the mussels and fresh basil
- Cook for a few minutes over medium heat until everything is cooked through and warm again
- Add in the pasta and cook another minute or so
- Let sit for 5-10 minutes and serve in a shallow bowl or plate
- Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy 🙂
Insert disco dancing emoji here.
The High Heeled C*ntessa 