It’s very, very cold.
So cold that my hair freezes when I go outside, and when I open the windows in the kitchen, the steam immediately freezes and makes it look as though the entirety of the street I live on is billowing white smoke from some unknown source.
I kind of like it.
Did I ever tell you that I almost moved to Vermont?
Well I did.
It was at the end of my first semester at the University of Toronto. I was enjoying myself at school, but I was also burned out after spending the past three years at a competitive prep school. I was studying things I liked, but I didn’t like studying anymore. The thrill I had once had in learning had disappeared. And so I started reaching for something new and different, something I hadn’t tried before. What seemed as different as possible from studying in an urban center? Teaching skiing in the mountains.
While at the time it seemed to be the biggest possible change I could make, the striking similarity I notice now is the cold. I do love summer, but I never wanted eternal summer on an island or in the desert. There’s something thrilling about cold, even when you’re numb. For some reason, true cold makes me feel alive, and even when all I was seeking when I was change, it remained something I needed, a characteristic I couldn’t give up in the place I wanted to call home.
I didn’t end up moving to Vermont; it was yet another idea to add to the pile of those I have, those that the people near me know all too well. It was just one manifestation of my desire for big change, that urge I get to move as far away as possible from where I am, just for the thrill of something new. Instead, I stayed at Toronto a little longer and then ended up in Cannes, that place where even the cold isn’t that cold, and you never get those thrilling 0 degree days that leave me layering as many clothes as possible one on top of the other just to go to the market for something for dinner.
The combination of the bright winter sunlight and the cold that covered the market this Wednesday was beautiful enough to warrant a photo, even if it meant taking my hands out of my pockets. We had just a centimeter of snow — nothing for someone who spent three of the snowiest winters in Massachusetts –, but it’s something. For dinner, I roasted a squash and made comfort food.
Penne pasta with creamy goat cheese, warm fried sage, sweet squash. Perfect for days like this.
Penne, Potimarron, Goat Cheese, Bacon, Fried Sage (serves 3)
1 potimarron (red kuri squash), diced (you can sub butternut, if you can’t find red kuri where you are), cubed
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. butter
100 grams (3.5 ounces) bacon, cut into matchsticks
6 sage leaves
100 grams (3.5 ounces) goat cheese
200 grams (7 ounces) uncooked penne pasta
salt and pepper
Note: When seasoning in this recipe, remember that less is more. The bacon and goat cheese will add a lot of salt at the end.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Toss the cubed squash and the olive oil with a pinch of salt. Place in a foil-lined pan as evenly as possible, and roast, tossing once or twice, for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 20-30 minutes. Add water as needed to loosen the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. When the onions have caramelized, remove them from the pan and add the bacon. Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve a cup of cooking water. If you time this right, the pasta should finish just as the sauce comes together, but if not, drain the pasta when it is cooked and reserve it until it’s time to add it to the sauce.
Remove the bacon to the plate with the onions and add the sage leaves. Fry on both sides until they just start to brown, about a minute per side. Reserve for the garnish.
Add the bacon, onions and squash back to the pan. Toss to combine. Add the pasta and goat cheese. Toss to coat, adding cooking water as needed until the sauce thins out to your desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with sage leaf garnish.