Christmas Fettuccine

Susan called on a Tuesday afternoon. I was making stock — chicken bones and vegetable scraps and the smell of it filling the kitchen — and my phone rang and she said, "I have good news." That phrase: I have good news. The simplest sentence and I held my breath through all four words.

Two publishers want the book. Two offers. Susan walked me through both: one was larger, one felt more aligned with what I wanted the book to be. She said she'd let them go back and forth for a few days and advise me on which to accept. She said, "You wrote something real and publishers know real when they see it."

I hung up and stood very still in the kitchen for probably two minutes. The stock was simmering. The house smelled like bones and vegetables and all the years of meals that produced those bones. Then I called Gary. He said, "Tell me everything." I told him everything. He said, "I'm proud of you." Not surprised — proud. He'd believed this was coming. That's the thing about being known by someone for twenty years: they can see your trajectory when you're still in the middle of it.

I called my mom. I texted Debra and Susan and Kara. I wrote to Ethan's mission email address — he's in Italy now, has been for eight months — and told him. Then I made dinner. Pasta. Something simple and celebratory and entirely Italian because my son is in Italy and my book is going to happen and the stock is done and we are going to eat.

I didn’t want anything complicated that night — I wanted something that felt like a occasion without demanding too much of me, because I was still standing in the glow of that phone call and I didn’t want to leave it. Christmas Fettuccine was exactly right: Italian, a little celebratory, rich enough to feel like a toast to something real. Ethan is somewhere in Italy right now, and Gary was on his way home, and the stock was done, and it seemed only fitting that the pasta on the table carry a little of that weight with it.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

12 oz fettuccine pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup fresh baby spinach
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, halved
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chiffonade, for garnish

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook fettuccine according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.
Build the sauce base. While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute until fragrant but not browned.
Add the mix-ins. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes, allowing the tomatoes to soften and release their flavor into the oil.
Finish the sauce. Pour in the heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 3–4 minutes until the cream thickens slightly. Stir in the Parmesan until melted and smooth. Add the spinach and let it wilt into the sauce, about 1 minute.
Combine. Add the drained fettuccine to the skillet and toss well to coat. If the sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water a splash at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve. Divide among bowls and top with fresh basil and extra Parmesan. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Christmas Fettuccine — The Pasta I Made the Night Everything Changed