I wipe my eyes and stare at the LCD clock radio by the side table and it reads 1 am.
"You must be kidding, right? Really? Really? It's 1 am and you want me to fix you something? There's left over in the fridge..." I mumble.
A few seconds after, I hear familiar voices screaming "SURPRISE!!!"
It was Heather my eldest from the Bay Area. The other voice was from my good friend Kelly, who picked her up at the airport. I rub my eyes, trying to figure out if I was dreaming... but the more I realize that it's for real, my jaw drops and tears start to fall.
I love surprises... who doesn't? However, I'm usually the one who stages them. I thought no one could plan a birthday surprise for me, but I cannot fathom the fact that my family actually did one this year... and my daughter's arrival was just the start of what seemed to be a series of birthday surprises.
And so today when I asked my hubs what he wants for dinner. His reply was "I want pasta...". "Creamy white sauce or tomato based?", I asked.
"...so surprise me", he said. Hmmm, I guess I'm not the only one who loves surprises. I'm sure your family loves surprises too. Let me share my special pasta recipe, and you could use it to pull a surprise on your family. Yes, life is sweet, life is indeed full of surprises.
Pasta Aligue with Crispy Adobo Flakes
(serves 2)
250 grams spaghetti noodles cooked (follow package instruction)
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onions, chopped
2 tbsp crab roe
2 tbsp flour
1 cup (or add as needed) shrimp stock (Boil the shrimp heads, crush the head or use an Osterizer, then drain)
1 medium tomato, diced
1/4 c black olives, pitted and sliced
lime/lemon zests
pepper and salt
Adobo left-overs (for adobo recipe click here)
Procedure:
For the sauce:
In a pan, saute garlic and onions with olive oil. Add crab roe, stir for about a minute then add flour. Whisk it all together until the mixture is blended and smooth. Slowly pour the shrimp stock. Stir and make sure to remove all the bits and pieces from the pan. Continue stirring until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens. (You could add more broth if you prefer a thinner sauce and strain if needed). Add tomatoes and black olives. Season with salt and pepper.
Now let's work on the adobo flakes:
Flake the adobo left over. In a pan, drizzle athcuete oil and add the adobo flakes. Toast until crispy. Sprinkle a generous amount on top of the pasta.
Sprinkle some sliced chives and add some lime zests on the pasta.
Enjoy!