A Fairy’s Dish

Tortellini with magic sauce...

Tuesday is the most important day of the week for me, it is the day my daughter returns from the weekend with her father. And so we have our rituals. Lots and lots of snuggles and contact, a joint bath, drawing, watering her shoe garden, jumping on my bed, painting our toes, dancing, baking cookies (always with chocolate), tea party with “amimals” and all sorts of other projects. She usually doesn’t want to leave the house put prefers a quiet day at home and in the garden. But she is growing up, no more naps together and she is playing more and more on her own and, today, she stated she wanted to make dinner. What?!!! Yes, of course!

This Mamacita proudly states, ” my little girl, at 3, is making me dinner… sort of!” The following is her recipe, exactly.

Sauce for Baba (pasta):

• 7 cloves of garlic
• 2 large and 3 small tomatoes, from garden
• 3 teaspoons of capers
• 6 green olives
• 4 basil leaves
• olive oil
• salt
• 1 package of fresh cheese tortellini

1. Boil water for pasta, and prepare as instructed on package. (my contribution)
2. Place garlic in mortar, and bang. “Bang it then peel it”
3. Thinly slice garlic, and place in saucepan with olive oil, cook slowly
4. Wash and roughly, yes roughly, chop tomatoes (fairy guiding my hand as I chopped…)
5. Add tomatoes to garlic, cook for a few minutes
6. Add capers and olives, stir
7. Chop basil and add when sauce is ready. Umm, it’s ready.
8. Add cooked tortellini, stir, and a pinch of salt.

To accompany, broccoli because we need “green things to grow.” This idea that I have grilled into my daughter is reflected by her choice of capers and olives in the sauce (and no pickles, relief, I was very worried…). Served with plenty of fizzy water, another hot day in Santa Cruz, and cherry almond chocolate chip cookies for dessert. And the pasta? Delicious, of course!