22.4
kilometers.
Three
hours.
Have
you ever wondered what 22.4km looks or feels like? Let me explain it to you…
In
Montreal, 22.4km is the distance between the corner of Sherbrooke and
St-Laurent - where on a Saturday night you will see girls with mind blowing
short skirts and boys with outrageously pointy shoes - and Bout-de-l’Île, which
is literally the eastern tip of the island of Montreal. Cool people don’t hang
out there.
In
Istanbul, you’ll have to drive (no fool would walk it, let alone run it),
22.4km to get from Emirgan to Rumeli Feneri.
In
Brussels… well, I should really say Belgium, 22.4km is just shy of the distance
between Brussels and Leuven. Two separate cities.
If
you wanted to avoid paying the taxi ride between Hyde Park and Heathrow Airport
in London, you would have to trot about 22.4km to catch the next flight.
I
think you get the point.
For
me, 22.4km is the longest distance I have ever run. Unfortunately, it will keep
its privileged status only until next Saturday, when 25km will take over the
gold position.
That’s
what I do on Saturday mornings… I go for leisurely jogs.
Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes and
Zucchini
Food
to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook is the first cookbook I
purchased when I moved to Montreal three years ago. The move was a turning
point in my life as, in addition to many other things, it was also the first
time I was going to live completely on my own. No family, no roommate… just me
and the three square foot kitchen. So I had to take things in my own hands and
cook for my own survival. This spaghetti recipe is one of my personal favourites.
It’s so easy to prepare yet looks so beautiful and tastes so fresh that you can
easily fool crowds about how much you laboured over it.
Serves
4
2
ripe medium-sized tomatoes, grated
1½
cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
½
bunch Italian parsley, chopped
Handful
of fresh basil, chopped
4
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch
of salt
Pinch
of red pepper flakes
Freshly
ground black pepper (to taste)
1
pack of dried spaghetti (about 500gr/1 pound)
1
garlic clove, minced
2
medium-size zucchini, cut into ¼-inch cubes
Place
the tomatoes, parsley, basil, olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes and ground
black pepper in a medium bowl and let it sit at room temperature until all the
flavours mix and develop, at least 30 minutes.
Bring
a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your spaghetti until al dante. While the pasta is cooking,
heat some olive oil on a large pan and add the minced garlic. After one minute,
add the zucchini and cook for about 5 minutes, until the zucchini have sweated
but still have a bite.
Drain
the spaghetti and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the zucchini and the
tomato mixture and toss to combine.
Easy
does it!
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