Finally...pasta!

The last few days have been crazy, but I am happy to report that I now have a full kitchen. I cannot believe how long it has been since I've had an operational sink and cooktop. The oven and microwave were in a few weeks ago, but no cooktop or sinks because I needed to wait for the granite. But finally it's all here. Truthfully though, I have gone so long without them-I'm almost afraid to use them; they look so clean, so new...I'm not sure if I want to mess them up.

Ask yourself this question: if you had to do without a kitchen for any length of time what is the one thing you would most miss preparing? For me it has been pasta. Sadly (I suppose) I have never gone this long without a bowl of pasta. So today, the first operational day of my sink and cooktop, I could not get the pasta water into a pot and boiling fast enough.

One of my favorite local supermarkets, Stew Leonards, carries "homemade" fresh ricotta cavatelli pasta that is just delicious. I have used the fresh cavatelli in this recipe, but if fresh pasta is not available in your supermarket take a look in the frozen pasta section as there are several brands of frozen cavatelli that are just as good as fresh. You should be able to find cavatelli near the frozen ravioli in the freezer aisle of most large supermarkets.

Creamy Cavatelli with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Arugula

16 ounces fresh ricotta cavatelli pasta

1/2 cup creme fraiche

1/2 cup pasta water

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups coarsely chopped arugula

1 cup coarsely chopped sun dried tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add the cavatelli and cook according to package directions, or about 6 minutes; drain, but reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Transfer cavatelli to a large skillet. Stir in the creme fraiche, pasta water and salt. Stir over medium heat until the cavatelli is coated with the sauce.

Stir in the arugula, sun dried tomatoes, black pepper and parmesan cheese. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese and black pepper, if desired.

Yield 6 servings