Penne Pasta alla Kathy
Everyone thinks their mother is the best mother in the world, myself included. While I’m not getting into a fight with anyone over their mother’s qualities versus mine, I am here to say that my mother is the best mother in the world, for me.
My mom grew up in Southern Ohio in a small house next to the high school in a small town. She had the quintessential childhood of a babyboomer in the midwest. She was a girl scout, rode horses, was part of 4H, and was a cheerleader. In her college years, she attended The Ohio State University and was in the dorms during the Vietnam War protests and on campus when the National Guard came, fortunately for her things ended peacefully unlike at Kent State University.
“When you look into your mother’s eyes, you know that is the purest love you can find on this earth.” - Mitch Albom
By the time my sister and I came around, our parents had opened their own businesses in Virginia and Ohio. Roots & Shoots was my parents’ flower shop in Newark, Ohio where we spent countless days and nights as a family. From the time I was an infant to now, my parent’s store has been a central part of my life and my identity. I have enough memories of the store and many characters that frequented it to fill a library.
Owning her own store meant my mom worked all the time. Around the holidays, Mom was at the design table in the early hours of dawn until well into the night preparing for the next day. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized how much work and sacrifice went into that flower shop.
Those long hours and days often meant my mom didn’t have time to stand over a hot stove at the end of the day. She needed a recipe that was fast, could fee a crowd and was kid-friendly. That’s where recipes like this one came in handy. Penne Pasta came from the back of a box of pasta and has evolved over time with my family. The original recipe called for a can of tomatoes, a bag of frozen broccoli, and a box of pasta. Low frills, high nutritional density. Over the years we’ve made it our own through embellishment; adding mushrooms, bell peppers, sausage, and seasonings.
This is the dish I make when I miss my mom. I think about her, and the shop, and how hard she and my dad worked to provide a comfortable and safe life for my sister and me. I am so very fortunate to have a mom who knew how important it was to teach her children the value of things like hard work, manners, and to keep showing up, even when it’s hard.
I look back on that time often - reflecting on my mom’s ability to get up and go every day, year after year, pouring her heart and soul into her shop. By watching my parents all those years, I learned that success is a mix of passion, diligence, and grit. There are many things the two of them could have done with their talent they stuck with the store and never looked back. They often joke that being an entrepreneur is a sickness one never overcomes; I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.
These days, my mom runs another small business with my sister, in the same building where her flower shop once was. I feel an immense sense of joy, pride, and admiration when I think of the two of them, working there together where it all began.
Penne Pasta alla Kathy
Ingredients
1 Box Penne Pasta
1 bunch broccoli, trimmed and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
28oz can diced tomatoes
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Add the broccoli for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Strain and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and fennel. Cook until the garlic is aromatic, about 1 minute.
Add the diced tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add the pasta and broccoli and heat thoroughly.
Garnish with parsley and serve with fresh parmesan.
