Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onion

In a perfect world, every Sunday morning would start with a clean house and a few racks of cookies cooling on the counter. The smell of baked goods wafting through the rooms, mixed with a whiff of lemony cleaning fluid every now and again. I would potter around, reading the papers, sitting in the sun. Then, after I finished the papers and had plenty of time to take a refreshing shower, one or more friends would come over to share the cookies with me.

In the real world, I spent this whole Sunday morning running around my apartment like a madwoman, clearing away weeks’ worth of stuff strewn about, sloshing blue chemicals around the toilet bowl and bumping into things with the vacuum cleaner. The sun was shining, but I had no time to do something as frivolous as sit down, because there were counter tops to clean and a floor to scrub. By studiously ignoring yesterday’s unread papers, I managed to get the place presentable, and even bake some cookies, before a friend and her little girl were due. Like every good guest, she was a little late, so I dragged myself out onto the balcony for a breather.

Forty minutes later, I was getting worried. I had applied the mascara I didn’t think I’d have time for, read three chapters in a truly fluffy (but oh so entertaining) book and even changed my outfit. Still, my friend had yet to arrive. So I checked my planner and discovered I needn’t have risked slipping a disk to get the floor ready in time, because we had agreed to meet an hour later than I thought. Right.

Well, I had a clean house and a plate of cookies (plus an excellent time with the two beautiful women who came to visit). It was just half a day later, and in more haste, than in a perfect world. Although, if I’m honest, the cookies and cleanliness probably felt even better for the hard work I’d put into them. Also, it made for a great excuse later in the day, when it was time for dinner, I wanted something delicious, but did not feel like braising the red cabbage I’d bought. It just seemed like too much hassle.

As you might know by now, this is perfectly normal Sunday evening behavior around these here parts. Only this time, I had an excuse so I felt completely justified ringing the pizza guy to bring me a warm pie. Except, I didn’t feel like having pizza. Unusual, but given the suspected number of calories in the feta-egg pizza I have been enjoying, I welcomed the feeling. This did mean, however, that I had no plan for dinner. That is, until I looked at my provisions and added up a can of tomatoes, an onion, a chunk of butter and a few handfuls of dried pasta into the pasta with tomato sauce Molly wrote about over at Orangette a few years ago.

The sauce is ridiculously easy to make. You put a few tablespoons of butter, a peeled and halved onion and a can of tomatoes in a pan, heat the lot and let it simmer for 45 minutes. It is even easier than calling for a pizza, and quicker too, if you are in my part of town. But that’s not the best bit. The best bit is the incredible flavor you get for so little effort. The sauce is rich, earthy and sexy. If that’s possible. It is comforting and uplifting at the same time and makes for a mighty fine ending to a good Sunday.

Easy Like Sunday Dinner (Lemon Artichoke Pasta)

Sunday nights pose a food challenge in my house. When I do not have people coming over for dinner, I find it difficult to get my act together on Saturday and buy ingredients for two dinners. Since shops don’t open on Sundays around these parts, an end-of-weekend challenge tends to result.

There used to be a good Turkish take-out place around the corner to solve the quandary. Unfortunately, it turned into a run of the mill shoarma place with little going for it aside from its industrial strength garlic sauce. There is pizza delivery, of course, but the places in my area can’t quite cope with the Sunday night rush hour and a pie can take hours to arrive. Literally. The last three times we dialed for tomatoes’n’topping on dough it took 2½, 1½ and one hour, respectively. Progress, I suppose, but not what you want for a relaxed meal to end the weekend.

Often, the only viable solution is to piece together a meal from whatever is floating around the kitchen and pantry. That always includes garlic and onions, and usually canned tomatoes, pasta and yogurt. A good base for quite a few meals, I am beginning to find out. Last week, there was the garlicky bean dip and this week lemony pasta with artichokes saved the Sunday.

The sauce for the pasta is loosely based on carbonara sauce, with garlic instead of pancetta and with lemon zest added for brightness. Oh, and a touch of cream, because that makes anything taste better (although it is not really necessary here, so don’t let a lack of left-over cream stop you from making this pasta). The artichoke topping combines the earthy flavor of artichokes with lemon juice for some zing and caramelized onions for sweetness. Tossed together with a pile of pasta, they taste luxurious but not heavy. Plus, this dish seems like it was a lot more trouble than it really is. Beats a a pizza that takes 2½ hours, no?

Lemon artichoke pasta

Serves 3

1 400 gr bag frozen artichoke bottoms, thawed*
1 large onion, peeled and sliced into thin half moons
1 tbsp olive oil
zest and juice from half a small lemon
½ tsp sugar, optional
2 eggs
2 tbsp cream, optional
about 50 gr freshly grated parmesan
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced into six pieces
knob of butter
300 gr dried pasta

Heat the oil in a wide skillet that will fit all artichoke bottoms in a single layer later. When the oil is hot, add the onion and turn the heat down to medium. Cook, flipping onions occasionally, until onions are soft and have a golden color. Add the lemon juice and about ½ cup of water (there should be a thin layer of water in the whole pan), stir and taste. Add the sugar if you want it a bit sweeter (a little goes a long way). Add the artichoke bottoms in a single layer, with the stem end of the artichoke nestling in the watery onion mixture. Cover the pan and cook for about seven minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to a boil.

Mix the eggs with the cheese and the pepper, and the cream if using.

Add the pasta to the water when it boils and boil until al dente. Uncover the pan with the artichokes when the artichokes are tender but still firm. Continue to heat over low heat until pasta is done. When the pasta has about three minutes to go, place the butter and garlic pieces in a small sauce pan and melt over low heat; simmer until needed.

When the pasta is done, take about ½ cup of the cooking water from the pan and drain the pasta. Put the pasta back in its hot pan and add the melted butter but not the garlic pieces. Then add the cheesy egg mixture and the lemon zest and stir quickly and thoroughly, until each piece of pasta is covered in a saucy layer. Divide the pasta over plates and add artichokes (cut them into pieces first for ease of eating while watching a movie on the couch, but keep them whole for a prettier look). Serve hot.

* Buy frozen artichoke bottoms at a Middle-Eastern supermarket, or subtitute with any other sauteed vegetable that takes your fancy. Don't use canned artichoke hearts, though. They have a harsh acidity that will overpower the fragrant lemon zest.