Farfalle with Ham and Pesto
It’s getting to be a routine and I must say it’s a good one whatever I prepare for Alex’s packed school lunch, I make more than enough so that whatever’s left becomes breakfast for Speedy and myself. Today, it’s bow-tie pasta with pesto and ham. Instead of juice which is loaded with sugar, I served breakfast with lime water.
About the lime water. Water is flavored with lemon. Not squeezed slices are simply added to the pitcher so that what you get is aromatic water sans any sour notes. So, I thought I’d try it at home with lime because that’s what we have in the fridge right now. Simply refreshing! I’m thinking of adding sprigs of fresh mint next time.
For the pasta dish, to serve three, simply boil the noodles 40 to 60 grams per person. They don’t have to be bow ties. You can use any pasta shape that you like. When cooked, drain. For the pasta for three that I prepared this morning, I used 12 large sweet basil leaves, freshly picked from the garden, which I chopped with two cloves of garlic.
When the pasta was ready, I dumped them into a large bowl, added the ham, basil, and garlic mixture, then poured just enough extra virgin coconut oil to coat each piece of pasta. Then, a few squeezes of lime juice, some salt, and freshly ground pepper. I tossed everything together and, The pasta dish is delicious even without cheese. But if you think that no pasta dish is complete without cheese, you may add grated cheese to the pasta before tossing it. Or you may sprinkle grated cheese on top before serving.
Cafe con leche
To complete the Mexican theme of yesterday’s brunch, I had a cup of cafe con leche with the potato, chorizo, and chili dish. What is cafe con leche? The literal translation is coffee with milk but the name doesn’t do justice to this wonderful anytime-of-the-day drink.
Just so I don’t get accused of being politically incorrect, let me say that there are many versions of cafe con leche, it is popular in many Latin American countries, and it appears to originate from Spain. While all versions contain the basic ingredients of coffee and milk, usually in a 1:1 ratio, the Mexican version includes a stick of cinnamon not as a mere decoration, mind you, but as an essential part of the beverage. Nothing overpowering but just a hint of flavor and aroma of cinnamon.
Then, pour half a cup of milk into a small pan and add a stick of cinnamon. Boil the milk gently for about a minute, stirring often to prevent the formation of skin on the surface. Remove the cinnamon stick with a slotted spoon. Pour the hot milk into the coffee. Serve with the cinnamon stick. Add sugar to taste and here’s the cool part use the cinnamon stick to stir the sugar into the coffee until dissolved.