Spaghetti with Basil Cream Sauce

I'm baaa-aaack! 

Well, this is a surprise - left for St. Lucia on Wednesday and arrived home last night to find 5" of snow in my backyard. Talk about a complete 180. We went from bathing suits on the beach to scarves and jackets in a matter of 12 hours. 

It was an amazing vacation; I sampled a ton of local cuisine and discovered the deliciousness of Creole sauce (which I am actively searching for a recipe for) and I ate way more Creole bread than I probably should have. I had a johnny cake for the first time. Being an island, there was an abundance of fresh fish to be had: parrotfish, mahi mahi, kingfish, tuna and cod, plus fresh mussels and prawns.

Fiance and I were down there for several days to celebrate and witness his big sister's marriage. She was wed on the beaches of St. Lucia, facing the Piton mountains just as the sun was setting - a true storybook wedding! Congrats to my future sister-in-law and her new husband!  

Okay, so before I left I posted another pasta-related entry. I've come to find that I turn to pasta when I'm feeling really tired or lazy. Well, we didn't return home until 3am on Tuesday, so that night's dinner had to be incredibly simple. To my favorite book!:

SPAGHETTI WITH BASIL CREAM SAUCE, courtesy of 365 Ways to Cook Pasta

YOU WILL NEED:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons julienned basil leaves 

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Pinch of salt

12 oz spaghetti (or any long noodle, i.e. vermacelli or capellini)

Just so you know - to "julienne" something simply means to cut it into long, thin strips (ever hear of julienne fries?). Also, I happened to have spaghetti in my pantry.

mise-en-place

Ah, my trusty basil plant. Unfortunately, it's coming to the end of its productive life, and I'll have to pick up another one soon. But it's lasted me nearly an entire month!

This sauce was as easy as 1-2-3.

1. In a saucepan, gently boil the cream until it is reduced by half (about 10 minutes).

2. Stir in the basil, lemon juice and salt.

3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and toss with the cream sauce and serve at once.

All done! Told you it was easy. This was an excellent sauce. It was very light and creamy, and the basil flavor was not overpowering (surprising, since I added in an extra half-tablespoon of basil).

To add a little extra protein I cut up some BLSL (boneless/skinless) chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, coated them in salt and pepper, and sauteed them in olive oil for about 5-6 minutes. Then I tossed it with the pasta and sauce.

Of course, if you're going vegetarian with this recipe, simply omit the chicken and maybe add a few fresh veggies!

Tonight's dinner is more pasta, just because I didn't get to go food shopping yet. I know, it's not good to have even more pasta, but I promise I'll be back to my regularly scheduled deliciousness as soon as I can get my tired butt over to the supermarket. I'm planning on making some kind of Creole recipe to honor the beautiful country I just visited.

Until next time, eat, drink and be merry!!