Sunday, September 4, 2011

Naked Tomato Sauce


It seems all I can think about these days, apart from the shady crackdown on my NGO and writing the research report, is food. Maybe I'm seeking comfort in small pleasures.

This weekend, I was very sick with tummy issues. That's quite common in these parts, and my Khmer colleagues will note, quite frequently with the shaking of their heads and a slight chuckle, that barang (foreigner) stomachs are weak.

It is generally true. There was a period this summer when my office stocked Anna the Swedish-Russian lawyer, 1 American law student, and 1 Canadian law student. It was as if the three did rotations getting sick from food and/or the environment. I don't mean to make light of the issue, but it is just a reality of life here. Strangely, I have never come across so many issues when eating street food in Thailand or in Vietnam. Nor did I encounter any issues eating in Kazakhstan or China this last month.

Poor Ethan had to deal with me. He made me toast, and we watched an old Woody Allen film, as I recouped. When you're feeling like crap and stressed out to bits, a hug from someone who cares, and a reminder of how beautiful and incredible you are work wonders. Nevermind that I don't actually believe it in moments like that.

I'm feeling better today. I'm going to make this for lunch. Simple tomato sauce via Smitten Kitchen. I like the idea of a pared down tomato sauce and the claim that it requires no cheese was enough to bait me. I used the same ingredients in the iteration I made last week -- actually this recipe uses less ingredients! The process is, however, slightly different. I wonder if it will make a difference.

2 comments:

  1. i just made a big batch of tomato sauce over the weekend, such good comfort food!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, perfect comfort food. This recipe used an basil-garlic-pepper infused oil - yummy.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...