I hate closing doors.

Ever since I was a kid I hated it.

Whether it was a hotel room in Boise, Idaho or a shared dorm room at university I have always hated it, hated saying good bye, hated leaving something behind, hated knowing that I spent time somewhere and that I will never be able to be in that same space again, hated to think of something as the last time. Something about it always made me feel weird, a bit melancholic even.

That final look around the hotel room, under the bed, in the closet…did we leave something? And then locking the door turning and walking down the hall, dropping keys at reception, into the car a glance at the road map and off we go to find the right exit.

It was always better once we hit the road, but man I hated the closing the door part.

Tonight I am eating my last pasta at Borgo Allegri 7. It makes me sad and I am a little scared too. This is where a new life and a new chapter began for the three of us. We waited for almost nine months to see his face, to hear his laughs and it is here, on the top floor with all the pigeons and church bells that we finally got our wish. Soon I will feel the weight of this door close for the last time behind us and know that we will never again climb these warn stone stairs and make dinner or share our breakfast on the old marble table. This will not be easy. Yet I am eternally grateful to whatever good fortune led us here and hold out my hand gladly to the next door I will be opening and hope and pray I won’t have to close that one for a very long time.

Last Pasta at Borgo Allegri Pasta… the last of my cherry tomatoes, last of my arugula, the last of my feta cheese…

Nothing like a little cream and nutmeg to calm your excitement before finding out the sex of your baby. No I wasn’t in labour at a restaurant…not even close.

About a week ago a letter arrived that would tell my husband and I that our baby is ok genetically as well as its sex. It wasn’t exactly the old fashioned way to find out…but in the end we were both pretty emotional and excited! I made a vegetarian version of this zucchini pasta in his honour (without the pancetta and with an added ¼ cup of thick Greek yogurt) and it turned out fabulous as well.

Today I added some pancetta and it worked out great. It reminds me a bit of a Carbonara my mom would make…with sweet bacon bits and sautéed onions and a bit like the creamy sauce with bacon and peas you stumble across from time to time in Rome. The nutmeg really makes it pop though…so make sure you have a good nut to grate in to the sauce!

Just a reminder, this is just one serving…double it for your loved one (boy or girl)…they will enjoy it too!

Fusilli pasta with zucchini, pancetta, cream and nutmeg

Ingredients:

1 cup grated zucchini

¼ cup diced pancetta or cubed bacon

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

¼- 1/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup grated parmigiano or grana cheese

1 ½ cups Fusilli pasta (you can use penne as well but Fusilli really holds the sauce well)

Grated nutmeg

Salt to taste

Olive oil for sautéing

Get your pasta water boiling on the stove…and be sure to add enough salt!

Put a little olive oil in a medium sauté pan and brown the pancetta. Add the pepper flakes when the pancetta is just starting to brown. Add the zucchini and keep stirring and mixing until it is cooked through but not mushy. About 5 minutes max on medium heat. I usually sprinkle in a pinch of salt here.

Add your pasta to the boiling water.

Add your cream to the zucchini – pancetta mixture. It will start to bubble a bit. Turn down the heat and add the grated cheese.

Grate in your nutmeg to taste and adjust the salt.

Take it off the heat and wait for the pasta to cook until it is al dente…or just a slightly more firm in the middle. Avoid mushy pasta!

Drain the pasta and add it to your sauce directly in the sauce pan. You may need to turn on the heat to loosen the sauce a bit. You might want to add a bit more cream or olive oil at this stage too just to make sure all the pasta is covered evenly. I only had to stir it gently for about 2 minutes and it got covered pretty well.

Serve with cracked black pepper and more parmigiano on top!

Buon appetito!