Cooking for One: Smoked Paprika Rigatoni

I rarely cook for myself. 

For me, cooking at home is not a utilitarian exercise - I don't do it to satisfy my gluttonous desires.  Cooking, in many ways, is about personal expression.  Sometimes the expression is in the ideas that have led me to prepare a dish a certain way.  Other times, the expression is in the flavors I've married together. I don't cook from recipes, but I'd imagine the above would continue to hold true if I did. 

Even if I make a simple, straightforward dish, it just doesn't taste the same without someone enjoying it with me.  Expression almost always begs for a reaction. As all cooks know, once you get used to receiving the reactions, they become a continuous source of pleasure.  I'm all about the reactions to the food I make, as well as the conversation that usually comes along with a meal. I love to see natural expressions of joy, satisfaction, surprise or even skepticism someone has while eating food I've prepared for them.   I also enjoy hearing thoughts and ideas on how a dish could be better.  I can't tell you how many of my dishes have been improved based on these dialogues.

Based on where I was in my life a few years ago, my personal situation has changed dramatically.  Single life has been treating me well so far, but just like everything, it certainly has its ups and downs. As it relates to cooking, I don't have that reliable dining partner to enjoy the day-to-day cooking I do at home.  Since I have to pursue dinner guests now (not a great personality attribute of mine), having people over for dinner has become more like an occasion vs. a daily part of life.  As such, I've slowed down tremendously in terms of my cooking output.  It's led to lack of food porn for this site but more importantly, has hindered me from landing on those special culinary moments - when a few spontaneous kitchen maneuvers result in a personal culinary breakthrough.

All of this has led me to the conclusion that I need to cook for myself.   While the drawbacks I mention above will certainly be there, I need to continue on with my exploration in the kitchen, even if that means solo.  I obviously won't want to go all out for myself, but I can make simple, interesting, flavorful food that I can enjoy on my own without the need to overanalyze it, right?

In an effort to keep myself committed to this idea, I'm starting a series on this site called Cooking for One.  The food I feature will be simple, easy to execute dishes I've made for myself on any given weeknight.  As with most content on this site, I cannot commit to a posting schedule but my goal is to get Cooking for One posts up every week and a half.

I'll kick off Cooking for One with a simple pasta dish that I made in 20 minutes last night - smoked paprika rigatoni with sausage and sage.

One of the principles that I'll need to employ while cooking for myself is the fact that I probably will not want to go food shopping for the meal.  It needs to be residing at my apartment already.  That means it's all about what I have in the fridge and in the pantry at the time.   

For this meal, I had some sausage, sage and Parmigiano Reggiano in the fridge.  Pasta was a natural pairing, and I immediately went with an olive oil based condiment to dress the pasta.  My bit of experimentation was to create an oil infused with smoked paprika.  All I did was brown sausage, removing it (and the fat) from the pan once cooked.  I then put some fresh EV olive oil in the pan, along with a heaping teaspoon of smoked paprika and a pinch of chili pepper flakes. After I blended these ingredients into the oil, I heated the oil over very low heat for a few minutes.  I then added some chopped garlic and sage to the pan for a minute, then the sliced sausage and the cooked rigatoni.   Salt, pepper, some grated Parmigiano Reggiano finished it off, along with a heaping serving of Top Chef.  Now if only I could convince Padma to come over for a tasting.

Cheers to all you solo eaters out there.

Comments

[ACB]

Thank you! I'm also cooking for one most of the time, and hate to see the complexity and adventurousness go out of my meals just because it's "just me."

Keep 'em coming.
ACB (aka sister of Oh My Rockness lead developer...)

[joe]

thanks acb, will do. tell your sister i love her work!

i also realized that the point about not shopping beforehand is a bit inaccurate. while that will mostly be the case, i may want to pick up some fish or something before hand...

[Donna Diane]

Tried your dish and loved it!

[Kris]

Wonderful recipe for an evening alone. I have found, through my own cooking for one, that local markets offer unfamiliar ingredients and can foster your creativity even more. Arrive at the market with an open mind and plan your dinner there!

[mike]

joe, made this tonight and loved it. the smoked paprika adds a great depth of flavor. can't believe you just stumble on this stuff. keep it up!
mike

[Aparna Jacob]

Your writing is very inspiring. My friend and I recently started a foodblog. It's about food and nostalgia and responses to food. Would you like to write for us?

[Troxexperdoth]

The meek shall inherit the earth -- they are too weak to refuse.

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[miszieman]

its nice knowing there are ppl out there who would throw wht ever they hav in the kitchen to make a meal..[esp. meal fo one..]
being lazy me, i usually juz make whtever pasta i feel like eating..one protein [salmon or prawn or chicken], sum vege and bunch of herbs with a garlic n olive oil base..well, it is MY own stomach tht i'm feeding, so i guess whtever goes with MY tastebuds.. ;)

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