Pink Pasta

I made this out of desperation...not a lick of food left in the house the day before the market. It may not be the most nutritious dish, but I ate about half a box of pasta it was so addictive:

1 onion, finely diced
1 red pepper (or a pinch of red pepper flakes, or just black pepper...something to add spice)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar (any vinegar or old wine will do)
1 T tomato paste
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan (optional...only use if you have Reggiano on hand, the other kinds get clumpy when you melt them instead of turning into a cream that will coat the pasta.)

1/2 lb penne or other pasta

Cook the onion in a bit of butter or olive oil until clear, add the pepper and vinegar, reduce until almost dry. Add tomato paste and cook for just a minute. Add cream, let it come to a boil so that it reduces a bit and gets just a little thick (maybe 1-2 minutes). Add dripping wet pasta (and Parmesan if using)...and toss to coat. The dish would look prettier with some chopped parsley thrown in, but I didn't have any, so I didn't try it.

Loïc introduced me to some new music...probably stuff everyone else knows about, but I'm completely out of the loop (just try explaining this expression). My favorite was this group. I hope you like it too.

Many happy returns of the day indeed...

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the birthday calls. Loïc is visiting from Paris and he and I spent the day tromping around LA. He showed me some of the famous sites in Hollywood I am supposed to know about as a resident, and I took him to the Getty museum where nearly everyone but me turned out to be French. We did a lot of driving and so I watched my cell phone buzz with new calls while I couldn't answer it, but all the messages made me very happy anyway. I promise to call you all back soon.

Dinner

Polenta with fresh corn and gruyere

1 cup water
1/2 cup polenta
1 ear fresh corn (removed from cob)
1/4 cup grated gruyere cheese
1 sprig rosemary
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 Tablespoon butter

Boil the water in a saucepan with the rosemary sprig , then add the polenta. Cook until thick. Remove the rosemary. Mix in butter, cheese, fresh corn, and walnuts. Season to taste.