So... We had just returned from our annual "Cooking in L.A. for VERY Rich People" gig. There was nothing in the house, and we were too fried to shop, so it was time to take stock of the pantry and the fridge...
There was arugula that I'd cooked down (so it would survive our week away), and there was hot Italian sausage in the freezer... and my emergency stash of dried pasta. (I'm mostly making pasta these days, but there are moments when even I don't want to. This was one of those moments: less than 3 hours of sleep in the previous 30+ hours. Hence the stash!)
I cooked the sausage, added the greens, added some onions and a ton of garlic (because we'd been on planes and in crowds... Trust Me.). Then I went a little crazy and added smoked paprika and some stock! I boiled the pasta until it was almost done, finished cooking it in the sauce, topped it with way too much Parmigiano... and dinner was served.
And we could sit by the fire... Eat a ridiculously comforting meal... And reflect on just how much we owe my best friend Debbie. For many things, but specifically for our annual orgy of cooking, and entertaining, and celebrating Christmas together, in the deeply strange world of L.A.