Dinner for one

Dining alone takes on a whole new meaning this time of year. No matter how happy you are being single, the desire to spend your time with “someone special” creeps in. (I blame the romance of twinkling Christmas lights.)

But even when you do have a special someone, or an abundance of family with which to spend the holidays, you still need some time to yourself. If you don’t have any quiet time, you will get crazy stressed and find yourself tearfully praying for the arrival of January. And let’s be honest, January is a pretty boring month compared to December. Why not enjoy the glitzy holiday fun while it’s here?

Recently I threw together a quick dinner for myself before going out with Kimberly. It was pouring rain and cold and dark, so pasta seemed like a fabulous idea. I’d love to learn to make my own pasta some day, but for now I’ll have to settle for boiled linguine à la Trader Joe’s.

Kimberly and I had plans to go take country dancing lessons at a bar called the Little Red Hen. I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew I needed some Me Time before I went out. This dish was so quick and simple to make, it practically falls under the category of moving meditation. It was soooo good! I added a 7-minute egg, whose yolk lent a slightly creamy, frothy texture to the sauce. I enjoyed it quietly at the table, with a glass of red wine.

My iPod hummed out Beatles and Modest Mouse tunes in the background, and the blinking lights of the Christmas tree winked at me. And I didn’t mind being alone one little bit.

Pasta aglio y olio with 7-minute egg, for one

The only tricky thing about this recipe is timing it so that everything is ready at about the same time. I’ve included some timing instructions to help you out, but really it just takes practice.

Ingredients:

1 small handful dried linguine (actually, I make my thumb and forefinger into a ring to measure out a single portion for myself.)

freshly grated salt

freshly grated pepper

1 egg

olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

1 large handful arugula (for side salad)

citrus champagne vinegar

parsley (fresh would’ve been good, I just had dried)

Beforehand, or while waiting for water to boil make a quick salad. Arugula is meaty and flavorful enough to eat on its own with a simple dressing. I toss it with olive oil, citrus champagne vinegar and some salt and pepper. Put aside.

Boil some water for pasta, with a pinch of salt. When it boils, put pasta in pan and stir frequently with one of these. Cook 1-2 minutes before starting water for boiled egg.

Use a pushpin to make a hole in the broad end of your egg. When water is boiling gently, add egg. The egg will lower the temperature of the water. I try to cook the egg for seven minutes from when the water returns to a boil.

Continue stirring and testing pasta. (My grandmother tells me these are best for stirring pasta, so that’s what I use.)

Three minutes before the egg will be done, heat olive oil in a small pan. When hot, add garlic and stir frequently.

When pasta is done, drain and rinse quickly but leave some liquid in the pan and return to stove on a low burner. Add some olive oil. When garlic starts to brown, combine it with noodles and add freshly grated salt and pepper to taste.

Remove egg from boiling water after 7 minutes. Run under cold water for thirty seconds. Remove shell carefully. The yolk should still be runny so the egg will be fragile.

Move pasta to a large bowl. Add a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Place egg on top of pasta and smoosh with a fork so that the yolk joins the existing sauce. Top with more salt and pepper (if desired) and a quick shake of dried parsley. Serve with arugula salad on the side. Yum!