the review: pasta with olives, pancetta, and garlic

We’ve been on the road. Eating junk. That’s not to say that I haven’t been eating some pretty good stuff. I’ve mentioned the crawfish already. The wedding cake was amazing. I’m a sucker for almond wedding cake. I had a shrimp po-boy, and fried catfish, and beignets, and Rob had an amazing blackened snapper sandwich. We also ate at a cool beachside spot near Pensacola called The Gulf.

Right? The food wasn't awesome, but the vibe was great. Anyway, I did not plan well this week because, in truth, all I wanted upon returning from the South was salad.

We returned late on Thursday and I was not alone for dinner on Friday night so salad would not suffice. We did have salad. And it was amazing. Look at this.

Beautiful, isn’t it? Spinach, blackberries, pear, blue cheese, and pecans. Plus a quick balsamic vinaigrette that is a go-to dressing for us. Throw it all in a blender and you are done. Love that.

To go with the most beautiful salad ever made, we had pasta with pancetta, olives, garlic, and lemon from Sweet Paul. I know that I’ve mentioned before that I am a bit of a Sweet Paul fan. Paul Lowe’s photographs are stunning. Mouth-watering. Every picture in the magazine makes you want to eat or create whatever Paul is cooking or creating. What I love about Sweet Paul recipes is that they generally require few ingredients and simple preparation. This is my mantra. Few ingredients and simple preparation.

This pasta dish was flavorful but made with things that were already in my pantry. I completely over salted the water for the pasta. Don’t do that. Otherwise, this was a nice dish to serve with spinach salad on a lovely spring evening. You should give it a try.