Margherita

My mornings are brightened by my favourite coffee ritual; moka coffee. My percolated coffee gives me hope for the day, because let’s be honest, the best coffees are made from percolators, the Italian way.

As I fill the chamber with mounted coffee ground, I smile thinking of how many people are doing this at the same time in front of windowsills and balconies around Italy. I carefully put the top of my percolator on and close it tight and put it on my gas cooker, just like old times.

I await for the gurgling sounds in my aluminium pot and take a peek inside the lid to check if the coffee is nearly ready. The aroma is... simply perfect. I pour the coffee in my favourite cup and sweeten it just a little bit...

I open the cupboards and see what's available. Generally I always have five pasta types to choose from; spaghetti, penne, tagliatelle, farfalle, garganelli, fusilli, capellini, linguine...

Then I see what sort of sauce I'm in the mood for and start gathering my ingredients. When I've prepared everything I heat up the water and drizzle some oil in a pan... Now is where the excitement kicks in, when my mouth already starts watering.

As the pasta is ready and the sauce is simmering I prepare the table for one and stare at the windowsill hearing the birds chirping. The smell of the sauce cooking takes my mind to another place... Italy. I'm in a garden under a lemon tree with a plate of pasta infront of me... Under the bluest of skies and and grounds of green, a sip of wine and a lovely breeze.

This is what pasta does to me. These are some thoughts I had today while cooking a simple bacon mushroom pasta dish.