Finally fasting again
a bowl of comfort, for when you need it.
Today is the first day of the Apostles’ Fast. Even though I knew it was coming, it still snuck up on me a bit. Luckily I still have a pretty good fasting pantry leftover from Lent, including the remainder of a flat of canned chickpeas I got at Costco.
I felt better during Lent than I do now. I’m grateful that we’re back in a fasting season, even if it’s a short one. There’s something about this rhythm, fasting and feasting, that really helps to balance one’s life—especially by drawing us back to Christ, and away from the cares of the world. So even though I’m not at my best today, I think by the end of this week I will be feeling better. Lord willing.
For most of my life, I have been a devotee of the “pantry pasta.” A few years ago, the chef Alison Roman perfected this art form, which is a kind of choose-your-own adventure dish depending on what’s in the pantry. Typically this pasta goes in an Italian direction, with some combination of olive oil, anchovies, tomato paste, onion/shallot/garlic, chili flake, parsley, capers, etc. And you can certainly make a fast-appropriate pantry pasta using pasta water, tomato puree, capers, herbs, and a protein. Or, if you’re not abstaining from olive oil, you will have no problem at all whipping this together.
Today I skipped breakfast, and, I’ll be honest, felt like I needed something a little comforting for lunch. I suspect the desire for a bit of comfort during fasting is a fairly common experience, which is why I encourage you, when you’re putting together a pantry for fasting, make sure you have something on hand for this purpose: fasting can’t all be chickpeas and carrot sticks. (I mean, if you can do that, more power to you, but I can’t.) Maybe that’s a peanut butter and jam sandwich, another fast-appropriate meal that summons comfort.
There is also something very comforting to me about a bowl of spicy noodles. I was thinking about this remarkable gochujang noodles recipe, which calls for butter and pasta water emulsified together into a beautiful sauce. But I felt pretty sure that even without butter, I could make something pretty tasty.
Everything in this recipe is approximate, and you can do a little more or a little less. You don’t have to include a protein, but I did—I really love Trader Joe’s Lightly Smoked Mussels for lunches while fasting. Measure and season with your heart.
Gochujang-Miso Pantry Pasta
Serves 2-3
8 oz bucatini or spaghetti (or other long pasta shape)
2 tablespoons white miso paste
2 tablespoons gochujang paste
1 grated garlic clove (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
1 teaspoon honey (optional)
1 tablespoon of soy sauce (optional)
1 teaspoon sherry or rice vinegar (optional; if using seasoned rice vinegar, then omit honey)
2 drained cans of smoked mussels, or smoked oysters, or diced tofu, or cooked shrimp (optional)
finely chopped cilantro or thinly sliced scallions (optional)
squeeze of lime (optional)
furikake or everything bagel seasoning (optional)
Cook pasta al dente, according to package instructions (don’t forget to salt your water).
About halfway through cooking, in a bowl or measuring cup, whisk together miso paste, gochujang, and honey (if using) with some of the hot starchy pasta water until the miso has disintegrated. Reserve another half cup of pasta water in a separate receptacle before draining.
Return pasta to the saucepan with the miso-gochujang mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir to combine, preferably with a silicone spatula. Add soy sauce and vinegar, if using. Add your protein of choice. Add up to all of your pasta water, depending on how much your pasta still needs to cook and how much time it takes to absorb most of the sauce. It’s okay if it stays a little brothy.
Pour into a bowl and top with cilantro or scallions, lime juice, and/or furikake or everything bagel seasoning.