Comfort Me With Food

To this day, the word "pastina" is not just a word that describes a dish.

To me it's a term of endearment; it was used in my house so often to make me feel loved and comforted that I barely think of it as food. It's more a powerful antidepressant -- a culinary Prozac.

As for soup itself, foodtimeline.org points out that the root of this word derives from "soak," from "an unrecorded post-classical Latin verb suppare, to soak." Very technical, but I have a Pavlovian reaction to the word "soup" -- it warms me when I hear it. I instantly see my mom shuffling to the stove and doing her little magic act in that little saucepan.

Unfortunately, I never really paid attention to how it was done, so I didn't learn how to make it from her.

I just knew there was a blue box of tiny pasta that looked like yellow BBs, that water was involved, and that there was always a healthy sprinkling of grated Parmigiano on top.

In Italy, the scraps from making fresh pasta would be finely chopped up, dried and boiled in stock or water when there was nothing else to eat.

I always say the good life is not a thing, it's a belief system, and while this is truly a delicious dish, it's so simple that it would never be served in a restaurant.

It's home cooking at its best, comfort food that my mother imbued with love that made it so special.

Here is my recipe for it. I hope you won't need it too often.

Pastina
Serves 2

2 cups chicken stock
1 cup pastina
¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

1. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a medium pot. Pour in the pastina, stirring. Add salt to taste.

2. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes at a rapid simmer. Taste for doneness; the pastina should be slightly firm, as it will continue to cook in the hot soup.

3. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with the cheese, parsley, black pepper and red pepper flakes, if desired. Give your children a kiss on the forehead and watch lovingly as they eat it.

For more info on Rocco DiSpirito, please visit roccodispirito.com or click here to find his cookbooks.

Note: Rocco is shooting his new TV show, and he's looking for people with a dramatic situation in their lives involving food. Worried about that engagement dinner with your picky future mother-in-law? Trying to win back that ex-girlfriend who's still mad at you for cheating on her? Trying to bury the hatchet with that outcast uncle at your family reunion cookout? Rocco wants to help you! Please email with your problem and you will be contacted!

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