I would just like to take a moment to remind everyone in case they forgot – the left lane on the highway is for passing. It’s not for hanging out. Over the weekend, I took my sister to a music festival. We listened to sets by The Last Dinner Party, Doechii (unbelievable), Clairo, Role Model, etc. We sang our favorite songs at each other. We fought through crowds and talked to strangers and took pictures with three girls wearing matching shirts on which they had bedazzled the word “cunt.” I saw my boyfriend Lucy Dacus for the second time in four days. Merriweather Post Pavillion is an enormous venue offering enough alcohol and chicken tenders to keep twenty thousand gays happy for three days straight. In the morning I woke up and realized I had eaten forty cigarettes. I drove four hours back to Pittsburgh where I immediately got into the bathtub, leaving my bags, blankets, pillows, and purse in the car. When I got out of the tub I felt in my bones that I needed to make myself some pastina.
Pastina is a very good soup and I am very good at making it. It is comforting and filling while being light at the same time. It’s so easy to make with just a few ingredients and a huge payoff. It can be universally applied – great for when you are feeling a little tickle in your throat or when you potentially have partaken in a few too many drugs and or alcohol. Or when you’re just a little kid who loves soup. A few weeks ago Ryan’s cousin Stephanie asked me for my pastina recipe after her three year old son told her that she wasn’t making it as good as I do. I responded to her saying that of course I would give her the recipe but failed to mention that I do not have a pastina recipe. So to give it to Steph, I first must give it to myself and, of course, to you. Xavier, this recipe is for you. I know you can’t read yet but be nice to your mom.
PASTINA
3 carrots (washed & roughly chopped)
1 celery bunch (stalks diced, root discarded)
20 garlic cloves
1 tbsp. chicken bullion
3 - 4 quarts chicken broth
4 eggs
½ cup grated parmesan (plus more for serving)
1 tsp. black pepper (plus more for serving)
1 lb. small pasta like stars or ditalini
In a large pot (5-7 quarts), add all of the vegetables along with the chicken bullion and chicken broth. Simmer for 30 minutes or until all of the vegetables are very soft. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the soft vegetables to a blender and blend them until the mixture resembles a bisque. Alternatively, blend the soup in the pot with an immersion blender. Return the blended vegetables to the broth and bring it back to simmer. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, cheese, and pepper. With the soup simmering, whisk in the egg mixture. Salt to taste. In a separate pot of salted water, boil the pasta until it’s al dente. To serve, ladle some pasta into a bowl and pour the soup over it. Top with parmesan cheese, fresh cracked pepper, and nice olive oil. Once the soup is cool, the pasta can be added to the soup to store.
This soup should be golden in color and creamy in texture. I like to use chicken base or bullion in this recipe to give the soup more depth. For the pasta, I recommend stars or ditalini. I do not recommend using acini de pepe (this is only for wedding soup) or orzo (this is for murderers).
Since I last published a recipe so many wonderful things have happened. I have read the entirety of Lord Of The Rings three times this year and I think it’s the best thing ever and I never want to stop reading it on a loop. I also read Pride and Prejudice for the first time this year and man is it good. I watched Lost for the first time and I can confirm that the ending is disappointing but the journey is totally worth it. I love football. I love Pittsburgh. My best friend had a baby who is beautiful and perfect. I love my friends more and more with each passing day and I love my boyfriend and my house and my family and my dog and my job and my restaurant. And I love you. I love you so much. I feel happy and fulfilled and now that fall is beginning, I want to kill everyone less and less (except for when they sit in the left lane).
Make your pastina and enjoy your lazy Sunday even if it’s actually Monday. Even if it’s actually Wednesday. By the end of this week, TS12 will be here and our lives will all be made 12% better by it.
Thank you
I love you
-the BMer