Quarantine Meal - Doing What We Can With What We Have

Ciao tutti, 

I've decided to share a meal that my husband and I made the other night that gave me a little comfort in this dark time. 

We are trying to grocery shop for the whole week and meal plan so that we have enough food to last us as long as possible. We have dry goods and canned foods well-stocked but fresh foods are trickier. We don't want to be throwing anything away. 

Pasta dishes combine fresh produce with dry goods allowing you to batch cook and save some for later. 

Pasta is also good to keep in mind when looking through your refrigerator and noticing what is about to go bad if not used. Almost anything can be sauteed and thrown in with spaghetti or macaroni. 

We had mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, garlic, prosciutto, and tomato. The pasta was grocery store brand which is obviously not ideal, but since none of our cooking equipment (including our pasta extruder) is set to be delivered, we are making due with what we can. Having to use store bought pasta is not exactly a problem especially considering what's happening around us. 

It was my husband's idea to cross-score the tops of the tomatoes, stick a clove of garlic in the cross-section, and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. He then broiled them in the oven for about 15 minutes. When they came out, the skin of the tomato was nice and crispy and the garlic was perfectly cooked. He then added that to the pan of sauteed spinach and mushrooms. Last came the prosciutto and the pasta was cooked in advance (since we only have one pan). 

All of this was done with one knife, one pan, and a small baking tray. We enjoyed the meal with a cold glass of Birra Morretti. It was a delicious meal that warmed my heart. Italian food will always make me think of home.