i am a butterfly…

This is pastina, my ultimate comfort food.

I don’t remember if it was my grandmother or my mother who cooked it like this for me, but this is the food I must have when I’m sick or hurt or depressed. Before my recent surgery, I taught Scott how to make it so he could cook it for me when I got out of the hospital.

It’s a very inexact recipe, if you can even call it a recipe, but here’s how I do it:

Open a 14.5-ounce can of chicken broth and pour into a saucepot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a strong simmer and pour in the pastina. You should use a little less than half the volume of the chicken broth. I like to keep a kettle of hot water nearby in case it starts to dry out, because this should be creamy. I call it “poor man’s risotto,” actually.

Keep simmering until the pastina is cooked through. I think this takes about 8 minutes, maybe less. It should be soft and the broth should be absorbed, but the pasta should be creamy, not dry. Add water as it cooks if it looks like it needs more.

In the meantime, lightly beat one egg. When the pasta is cooked, remove the pot from the heat and quickly stir in the egg. This is just like egg drop soup, and the heat from the pasta will cook the egg completely. Add a generous handful of grated parmesan or romano and stir.

Serve hot and topped with more cheese. It is the absolute yummiest, most wonderful comfort food ever.

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