Betwixt and between

and a recipe for cacio e pepe with asparagus and peas

This weekend we had a sleepover.

It seems funny to say so, when you consider that the sleepover was at our new condo. Even though we won’t leave our house for three weeks more, we figured it was time to start settling in, getting the hang of new appliances, the heating and cooling, which switch opens which light. All the stuff, really, that one never thinks twice about at home.

You would think that I’d be eager to be in our new place as soon as possible. Fully furnished, with most of our possessions already in place, our condo is warm, inviting, colourful, full of things that we have lovingly acquired over time. And yet…that feeling of “home” has yet to settle in my bones.

It’s the final ten percent that’s killing me.

Developing muscle memory

Although our house is stripped of just about everything, still, it is as familiar as a favorite worn sweatshirt, a second skin of comfort. And while most of our things have been transplanted, my muscle memory kicks in whenever I need a pot, a spoon, the flour, my socks. Like driving a car, I live in my house on automatic.

As we gathered up some essentials to bring over on Saturday night, I realised that I hadn’t quite worked out enough to get that same muscle strength in our new place.

Nowhere was this more apparent than in the kitchen. Dinner was going to be simple: a pasta dish that required few ingredients and not a lot of pots. And although I diligently made a list of ingredients I needed, I was still caught shorthanded, reaching instinctively for things that weren’t there. Cutting board, wooden spoon, large measuring cup: those final items, still back at my old house, in their proper place.

Here, in my home of the future, I haven’t quite worked out where everything will live, or more importantly, how I will live in this shiny new place. I’m very careful with the lovely gleaming cooktop, the honed island, my hefty new pans. I struggle to find the right place to stand as I chop the asparagus, toss the salad, grate the cheese. In this expansive space I’m still waiting to exhale and allow myself to fully inhabit every corner. As my friend Rene wisely observed, it’s an exercise in mindfulness.

I know that time will take care of all of this. That, six months hence, I’ll know exactly where I left my glasses or keys, where the oven mitts are. By the end of the month all of the last bits and bobs will be here, and so will we: full-timers, not weekend guests at a fancy hotel. When I flop onto the sofa and have my first face buried in pillows nap, I’ll know I’ve arrived.

Cacio e pepe with asparagus and peas

from Melissa Clark, Dinner, Changing the Game

serves 2-3

Even without a cutting board, this delicious pasta dish from Melissa Clark came together in a flash. Purists might balk at any alterations to this classic Roman pasta recipe but how can the addition of asparagus do anything but elevate a dish? While you might be inclined to choose thick asparagus stalks for their robust flavour, this dish benefits from choosing very thin spears.

Ingredients

8 ounces thin asparagus, peeled, ends trimmed by ½ inch, cut into 1 inch pieces

8 ounces spaghetti or linguine

⅔ cup English peas (thawed if frozen)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ tablespoon very coarsely ground black pepper

1 ounce young pecorino, such as Pecorino Toscano (you can use manchego instead), grated (¼ cup), plus more for serving

1 ounce Pecorino Romano, grated (¼ cup), plus more for serving

2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup), plus more for serving

Maldon salt

Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving

Snipped fresh chives, preferably with blossoms, for garnish

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until it is just shy of al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions (it should be slightly underdone to your taste because you’ll finish cooking it in the sauce). During the last minute of cooking, add the asparagus and peas. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.

2. In a 12-inch skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and add the pepper. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet. Stir until the butter has melted and the sauce is beginning to thicken, about 30 seconds.

3. Add the pasta, peas, asparagus, and all three cheeses, and toss until the cheese has melted and the pasta has finished cooking, about 1 minute. Add more of the reserved pasta water if the skillet seems dry. Season with Maldon or other flaky salt to taste. Serve, sprinkling each portion with more cheese and drizzling it with olive oil. Garnish with the chives.