Austin

One Wednesday morning, Ben and I decided to play hooky. We have both had jobs over the summer so have been expected to show up somewhere every week day and put forth some sort of punctual and intellectual effort (like real adults, I know).

But not that Wednesday.

Ben woke up with some spontaneity in his feet and during our gluten free breakfast together, he decided we ought to take a little trip. “Let’s go to Austin today, let’s just do it.” I wasn’t immediately sold. You see, so much of the fun I associate with Austin has to do with food, and now that we are gluten-free, I was worried that this trip might present a temptation similar to sticking a diabetic in a candy shop. I slowly checked to see if our favorite pizza spot on Guadalupe had gluten-free crusts, and when I saw that they did, I quickly gave in! We did not have much on our agenda (besides picking up some wine that Ben tracked down at a Spec’s right outside Austin because it is sold-out here) so we had the freedom to just leisurely do Austin like the old times. Ben and I would often drive down to Austin from Baylor to catch a concert, watch a movie not playing in Waco, or simply go out to eat. We much appreciated our mini-adventure and more importantly the freedom we still have to do such things.

Below is a recipe I quickly whipped up with some GF pasta I had bought at the mother-ship Whole Foods in Austin.

Fettuccine with Walnuts, Zucchini Ribbons, and Pecorino Romano

(straight from Bon Appétit)

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds small zucchini, untrimmed

1 teaspoon fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt

2 garlic cloves, pressed

2 anchovy fillets, minced (about 1 tablespoon) (I used anchovy paste)

1/2 teaspoon (scant) dried crushed red pepper

1 pound fettuccine (I used gluten free brown rice fettuccine)

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for serving

3/4 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped

1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided

1/2 cup (packed) thinly sliced fresh basil

1/4 cup (packed) chopped fresh mint

Fresh zucchini flowers, thinly sliced (optional)

Preparation

Place 1 zucchini on work surface. Using vegetable peeler and firmly holding zucchini by stem end, shave zucchini lengthwise into long ribbons. Discard scraps. Repeat with remaining zucchini. Place ribbons (about 10 cups total) in large colander set over large bowl; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon fleur de sel. Let stand 30 minutes. Rinse zucchini under cold running water; drain well. Spread on 2 large kitchen towels; roll up in towels to absorb excess water. Set aside.

Combine garlic, anchovy fillets, and crushed red pepper in very large serving bowl. Using pestle or wooden spoon, crush mixture until paste forms.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Transfer pasta to bowl with garlic mixture. Add 1/3 cup oil and 1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid; toss. Add zucchini, walnuts, 1/2 cup cheese, basil, and mint; toss. Season with salt and pepper, adding more pasta cooking liquid if mixture is dry. Drizzle with additional oil. Sprinkle with zucchini flowers, if desired. Serve with remaining cheese.