Today I walked into a small Italian grocery near the station and paused at the shelves of dried pasta. I'd been cooking mostly rice dishes lately, so the rows of penne and rigatoni felt like a gentle nudge to try something different. I picked up a bag of orecchiette—the name means "little ears," and I've always loved how the curved shape holds sauce in its pockets. The shopkeeper, an older man with flour dust on his apron, asked if I'd tried his housemade pesto. I hesitated, then bought a small jar. He smiled and said, "Don't cook it. Just toss it with hot pasta and a splash of the pasta water."

At home, I filled a pot with water and added salt until it tasted like the sea. While the water heated, I opened the pesto jar. The smell hit me immediately—bright basil, sharp garlic, the grassy bitterness of olive oil. It reminded me of a summer afternoon years ago when my aunt let me help crush basil leaves in a mortar. I was too eager and crushed them into a paste before she could stop me. She laughed and said, "That's okay. You'll know better next time." I still remember the green stain on my fingers and the clean, almost peppery scent that clung to my hands all day.

The pasta took eight minutes. I stirred it once, watching the orecchiette tumble in the boiling water like tiny shells in a tide. When I drained it, I saved a mugful of the starchy cooking liquid, just as the shopkeeper had instructed. I tossed the hot pasta with three spoonfuls of pesto, then added a few splashes of the pasta water. The sauce loosened and clung to every curve. I didn't add cheese—I wanted to taste the basil clearly.

The first bite was warm and slippery. The basil was sweet at first, then the garlic came through, and finally a slight bitterness from the oil. The pasta itself had a good chew, firm but not tough. I ate slowly, noticing how the flavor changed as the pasta cooled slightly. The pesto seemed to brighten, the basil more forward, the oil less heavy. I realized I'd been cooking without tasting enough lately—just following recipes and checking off steps. This simple dish reminded me to slow down and pay attention.

I finished the bowl and washed the dishes while the kitchen still smelled like basil and garlic. I thought about what the shopkeeper said: "Don't cook it." Sometimes the best thing you can do is let ingredients speak for themselves. I made a note to go back next week and ask him about his tomato sauce. I'm curious what else he knows.

#food #pasta #basil #simplicity #ItalianCooking