Spaghetti With Crab, Cherry Tomatoes and Basil

It was Singer’s turn to cook last Wednesday.

We were all yearning for something light and springy, to lift our moods because the weather, to that point, was not cooperating at all.

She did not disappoint.

But talk about disappoint...I am a week behind in my posts — again — and this time, technology is the culprit.  I needed to get a new computer, and not only did I get a new computer, I decided on a new computing experience.  I switched from a conventional laptop to a Mac.  AND, since I don’t have Word for Mac installed yet and had to work in "Pages," I have no idea what the hell I’m doing. 

I apologize in advance for formatting errors.

Anyway, back to last Wednesday’s dinner.  Singer made Spaghetti with Crab, Cherry Tomatoes and Basil.  Loaded with fresh flavors — tomatoes, asparagus, lemons, garlic — this dish was just the Wednesday, mid-week pick-me-up we needed.  Kind of a hump-day happy hour….in a dish.

Speaking of hump-day...have you seen that hump-day commercial with the camel?  Yeah, I'm not crazy about that commercial but, I do have to admit, here I am talking about it so it is obviously a brilliant marketing maneuver. But this got me thinking about the origins of calling Wednesday "hump day."  We already know a few things about Wednesdays.  According to a popular rhyme, children born on this day are full of woe, Christians distribute ashes on Ash Wednesday in Lent, there is an Addams Family character named Wednesday and now we have christened it with this nickname.  

Wednesdays get a lot of attention....besides our dinner club.

Wisegeek.org tells us that if you imagine the work week as a hill, Wednesday represents the apex, and, when workers leave what theVogues call the Five O'Clock World on Wednesday, he or she can now descend the hill and look forward to the weekend.  Of course, with workweek variations and the limitless connectivity we have even when we are not at work, this definition could easily be disputed.  Many European countries try to enforce a strict work week and encourage workers to not check email during non-work hours, but, as you can imagine, technology demands often give this idea the boot.  Or is it the reboot?  

Sorry.

Anyway, two Wednesdays ago, we enjoyed another wonderful evening of each other's company and this fantastic meal. 

Spaghetti With Crab, Cherry Tomatoes & Basil

Adapted from: kitchenmonki.com

Sauce Ingredients

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Garlic Cloves, chopped

Good sized pinch Chili Flakes

Container of Cherry Tomato, halved

1 Lemon, zested and juiced

1/2 cup of white wine                   

1 lb of Canned White Crab, drained

Blanched bunch of Asparagus cut into pieces

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and chilli flakes. Cook until just pale golden, then add the tomatoes. Cook 3 mins more on a high heat until the tomatoes start to break down a little. Toss in blanched asparagus.  Add the lemon juice and cook for 1-2 mins. Remove from the heat and stir in the crab to warm through - not too much or it will break up.

Pasta Ingredients

1 lb of fresh Fettuccine or linguine

1 tablespoon Capers, drained & rinsed (optional)

Handful of Basil Leaves and Parsley roughly chopped

Step 2

Boil the pasta in a large pan of salted water following pack instructions then drain. Mix the pasta in the warm pot with the sauce, lemon zest and capers, and toss the basil through.

When we have dinner at Singer's house, it's always Foodie's turn to bring dessert.  I bring wine and Architect brings salad. We devoured that Panna Cotta you see up there, a recipe courtesy of David Lebovitz and Foodie.