Feeding My Addictions & A Simple Pasta Recipe: Linguine with Olive Oil, Garlic, Pecorino Romano, and Parsley (2024)

In addition, adorning the walls are two handpainted signs (one is wood and says 'Fresh Produce' and the other is metal in the shape of a pot of blue and white flowers and says 'Garden Tours'), an oversized forest green Postal Telegraph clock, and two cork bulletin boards that are completely covered with greeting cards, photos snipped from magazines, and other bits of eye-catching ephemera. Timely announcements and important papers don't stand a chance of being noticed.

But the majority of my two dimensional art is packed up in storage, kind of like at the Smithsonian where only about 10% of the actual museum's collection is ever on display at one time.

Also decorating my little room are a large antique oval hat box that says Pedigree Hats (scored in a thrift store shortly after moving to Missouri for $1.50), a cobalt blue handmade ceramic vase decorated with the face of a cat purchased 20 years ago from the artist at an outdoor fair and a small pale green ceramic Art Deco pitcher (both filled with sand and used as bookends), five bakelite radios from the 1930s, the latest addition to my collection of 1950s lucite purses (the rest are in boxes), and a gorgeous antique hand sewn wall hanging decorated with Egyptian motifs.

Don't forget the old tin of Hartz Mountain E-Z Kleen Flea Powder with a charming drawing of a child grooming a terrier-like dog on the front, the three silver knife rests from the 1930s in the shape of animals, and one of those little square puzzle games where you try to slide the 15 numbered pieces into the correct order, complete with instruction booklet dated 1933 and red leather carrying case. Then there's the black and red Art Deco tabletop display case that holds some of my prized bakelite jewelry collection and is surrounded by part of my equally prized

There's more, but I'm sure you get the idea. With a background in graphic design and years spent buying and selling (and of course collecting) antiques, in my world pretty much everything is art.

The good news is that apart from weighing a few pounds more than I'd like to and having a constant shortage of wall and shelf space (not to mention a slight clutter problem), my addictions don't seem to be doing harm to me or anyone else. I'm well read and well fed, have plenty of interesting things to look at, and am always up for a story or a snack.

The makings of a quick and easy meal

Any multi-obsessive person knows that the only thing better than supporting one of your habits is finding something that will feed all of them at once, and last year I came across such a thing: The Artist's Palate, Cooking with the World's Great Artists by Frank Fedele, which immediately became one of my very favorite books.

Take one part coffee table art book, one part cookbook, one part never-before-seen portrait collection, two parts biography and memoir, and combine them with up close and personal food talk from and about some of the most famous artists in the world, and you have a publication that, for me at least, seems almost too good to be true.

If you're the kind of person who delights in finding out that Henri Matisse "rose early to take advantage of the light, and had only one large meal at midday followed by a siesta," or that Willem de Kooning was partial to Dutch food and ate a traditional Dutch breakfast of Gouda cheese, sliced ham, crusty dark pumpernickel bread, poached eggs, and tea with milk and sugar nearly every day but also adored fried chicken TV dinners, then you, too, are going to love this book.

Where else can you learn that the Grande Dame of American sculptors, Louise Bourgeois, once tried to cut up oxtails from the wholesale meat market with a bandsaw, or that the ice in Diego Rivera's Mexico City apartment's icebox was replaced every three days?

One of the real gems in this book is Frank Rehn Gallery codirector Peter Ornstein's priceless story of the surprise, "straight out of the Nighthawks" lunch he enjoyed at the home of Edward and Jo Hopper in the mid-60s, after delivering a check to the artist.

This book is already so wonderful that it wouldn't matter if the recipes didn't work, but they actually do. The few I've tried so far have been delicious, including this simple yet satisfying pasta from American painter and graphic artist Will Barnet.

So what delectable things (edible or otherwise) are you addicted to?

Linguine with Garlic and Oil
Serves 2 to 3 - Adapted from The Artist's Palate

From

This is one of those classic, simple dishes that I, too, could easily eat nearly every day. I've made it many times, including with parsley (which I think is vastly underrated) and freshly dug garlic from my

In summer look for fresh garlic and just-picked parsley at farmers' markets. As always, I urge you to use

The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity—and the quality of your ingredients of course—but that doesn't mean you can't add your own personal touch with a handful of baby arugula (so

The amounts of each ingredient are purely to taste—it's nearly impossible to mess this dish up. I added my More, More, More kitchen philosophy to the original version, upping the garlic, parsley, and cheese, and substituting tagliatelle when I didn't have any linguine on hand (though I prefer it with the linguine). Oh yes, and there's the added bonus that garlic, parsley, and even olive oil are all very good for you. What a delicious way to boost your immune system this winter. Bon appetit!

8 ounces dried linguine (of course fresh pasta would be wonderful)
4 to 6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
10 to 12 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup (packed) chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water, drain and return to the pot or a serving bowl, saving a little of the pasta water. When the pasta is nearly cooked, heat the oil in a large skillet to hot, but not smoking.

Add the garlic and lower the heat, stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let the garlic burn.

Add three quarters of the parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Pour the sauce over the linguine and toss thoroughly, adding a little of the pasta water if desired. Top with the grated cheese and remaining parsley.

Can't get enough garlic? You might enjoy these recipes:

Still hungry? You'll find links to all my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index.

© FarmgirlFare.com, the artistic foodie farm blog where pretty much everything we eat fits into one of two categories: things that go well with garlic and things that go well with chocolate.