Romano Pasta with Diane Keaton

I have a guilty pleasure of loving Diane Keaton movies. I think she plays some really classy ladies. There's just something about her in Something's Gotta Give, with her house in The Hamptons and how her clothes match her interior decorating. I love it!

In Because I Said So she's a mom and she loves to cook. There's one scene where she's had a particularly stressful day so she makes herself this delicious looking pasta dinner and eats it all alone in her kitchen. This isn't to say I've had a particularly stressful day, quite the opposite, but I am saying there are moments when I make myself pasta and I'm home alone that I feel like I too could be the next great playwright (Maybe I should write plays first?). But now I'm mixing up my movies. The point is there's an extremely satisfying feeling in making an elegant pasta all for myself.

On this chilly afternoon the elegant dish was Romano Pasta - a fettucini noodle sauteed in a marsala, garlic, shallot reduction and topped with graded romano cheese.

The marsala and shallot paired up so nicely. They really brought out the sweetness of each other. And the romano cheese added just the right amount of saltiness.

Here's to your Diane Keaton Pasta Meal -

Fettucini Noodles

Olive Oil

1 Clove Garlic

1/2 Shallot

1/4 Cup Marsala Cooking Wine

Pinch of Flour

Freshly Graded Romano Cheese

Begin boiling your water as you start to saute your garlic and shallot in the marsala and olive oil. I cooked mine on medium heat and this reduced the juices to a good level. Let the mix sit on low while your noodles cook.

Once the noodles are ready add them to your pan of garlic and shallot. Sprinkle some flour on top to thicken your glaze over the noodles. Then add half of the cheese while the noodles are still in the pan and the other half once in the bowl.

Mahi Mahi Fettucini

I love fish because it's so simple. If you have salt, pepper and good fish then you have an awesome meal. I recently happened upon a Mahi Mahi sale, so I had to get it! Tonight when I decided to make it I had kale in the refrigerator and fettucini in the cupboard. A new, sort of healthy, concoction!

The Final Product: Mahi Mahi Fettucini in a Lemon Butter Sauce with Kale and Almond Slices.

I plate the fish up. Hand it to my husband. Then comes a knock at the door. Life happens, but joyfully. As I struggle for 30 minutes to keep the noodles from hardening and sticking together my husband goes to help our neighbor with a broken down car. In the end, a worthwhile trip because now we know he is also planting a garden this summer. Will my vegetables be shared with his vegetables? I can only hope. Maybe outdoor meals will be made in each others backyard amongst the humid air and fire pits!

I snuck a bite while he was gone and the almond mixed with the buttery lemon Mahi Mahi made my eyes rolls to the back of my head. The flavors were so rich and melty.

I took pictures because I feel like I can make a good meal but I'm not always good at making it look pretty. So here it is:

This dish isn't for the totally health conscious (I mean, I did use a quarter stick of butter), but for the hearty meal after planting a garden kind of gal or fella.

Tips for next time: Try some garlic sauteed in the mix as well. Anytime I cook noodles I add garlic. Can you tell I like heavy flavors?

Enjoy trying this out, and I hope you also find a neighbor who wants to garden with you!

Recipe:

Butter

Lemon Juice

Salt/Pepper/Lemon Pepper

Olive Oil

Almond Slices

Kale

Mahi Mahi

Fettucini

Melt butter in pan. Add Fish. Sprinkle with Salt/Pepper/Lemon Pepper. Add Almond Slices.

My fillets were really thick so I added some olive oil as the fish started to cook so it wouldn't burn on top.

Boil water. Add Fettucini and Kale. Keep in hot water until fish is ready.

Drain fettucini/kale mixture and add to pan with Mahi Mahi. I added some more butter to the noodles so they wouldn't stick.

Serve and enjoy!