Papoter and Pasta

Papoter /pa.pɔ.te/ is a French word that essentially means to take your time and have a little chat about nothing and everything. It also happens to be one of my favorite French words, a cherished pastime, and what we’re going to do today. 

Some of you may know me from my podcast, Dinner for One. Others, from my book Dinner for One: How Cooking in Paris Saved Me. And for the rest of you innocent souls, if this is your first time at the Sutanya rodeo—welcome. 

Strap in and get ready for the ride. 

If you knew of my existence before this Substack, you got to know me during different phases of my life. If it was via the podcast, I was in my early 30s, fresh out of my first (and so far only) marriage, and trying to navigate my new post-divorce life. If it was via the book, I was shedding my young divorcée baggage and stepping into my own. Et voilà, here we are. While some things remain the same: I’m still cooking in the kitchen of my quirky and colorful Montmartre apartment. Many things have changed: I now cook for others in my monthly Supper Club and sometimes do pop-ups at restaurants (shout out to Les Oeillets). 

Now that that’s out of the way, I’m honestly quite surprised that I started this Substack. I love reading newsletters written by my talented friends like Hannah Meltzer’s charming weekday dispatch from Paris, Pen Friend,  Hattie Crisell’s inspiring newsletter In Writing, which does a great job of making you believe that you actually have a chance at finishing that novel or short story collection that you’ve buried somewhere deep in the recesses of your computer and mind, and Lauren Collins’s funny and witty newsletter, Lettre Recommandée, that I’m officially bullying her to start again, and many more. I love reading their work, mais moi? Non, merci. 

I shied away from anything like this for a long time because I convinced myself that I didn’t have much to say nor the discipline to keep up with it. Over the last few months, I’ve somewhat accepted that I may have a thing or two to say and I do have discipline. I can stick to a project. I can meet self-imposed deadlines (please dear God don’t make me regret this declaration).   The real problem was the false narrative that I created, sustained, and nourished.

False narratives essentially feed our fears, no? They keep us frozen and in a state of shoulda, coulda, woulda. I know that I’m not expressing anything revolutionary or life-changing, but I think it’s essential to acknowledge that many of us are victims of the false narratives we tell ourselves and consequently, we run away from trying something fun and new. It’s our duty to re-write those narratives—I think that re-writing them is one of the keys to living a fulfilling and exciting life. I could be wrong, but I have a sneaky suspicion that I’m not. 

Don’t worry, this is NOT a motivational or self-help newsletter. All I’m trying to say is do the thing you’re telling yourself you can’t do. No matter how big or small.

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For a long time, I couldn’t bring myself to make homemade pasta and I bet you can figure out why. Yep, because I told myself that it was too hard and time-consuming. I don’t have a fancy KitchenAid with a pasta attachment so how could I possibly make homemade pasta? It’s not gonna taste as good as in a restaurant, I told myself. Making agnolotti-ish pasta at my second Les Oeillets pop-up demolished that lie, but that’s not the point. 

When I allowed myself to do something new and scary I discovered the value in the process. By making homemade pasta, I found renewed enjoyment in cooking. I unlocked a new skill and experienced the satisfaction of creating something with my own hands.  Essentially, the point I’m trying to make is that when we step out of our self-imposed limitations it’s not about achieving perfection, or in my case, replicating restaurant-quality pasta. Au contraire, mon cheri, what we do is embrace the journey of learning and experimenting, and, we may potentially surprise ourselves along the way. 

So, to kick things off, I’m sharing a recipe for homemade spinach pasta with a sage, butter, garlic, chili sauce. I enjoyed this dish with a martini (delish!) but it would also pair very well with a glass (or two) of a light-bodied red wine, like a Gamay or Pinot-Noir. A non-alcoholic beverage can work too! I’m a big fan of Iessi Frizante, an alcohol-free spritz made by my pals here in Paris.  

I encourage you to put your phone on airplane mode, pour yourself something nice to drink, listen to some relaxing tunes ( lately I’ve had Underground Canopy on repeat), and either make my pasta or try your hand at that one recipe you’ve been eyeing but too intimated to tackle. If anyone has a problem with this, tell them Sutanya told you to do it then send them my way. I’ll give them a good talking to. 

Et voilà. C’est tout.  My first recipe and note from my Montmartre kitchen to yours.   

Here’s to rewriting self-imposed false narratives and cooking nice things for yourself. 

bise et à bientot, 

sutanya 

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SPINACH PASTA DOUGH

note: most of my recipes are a single serving because I usually cook for myself. Soz!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (115 grams) of type 00 flour or pasta flour 

• 1 large egg 

• 1/4 cup spinach, that’s about a good two handfuls, washed and clean 

• 1 garlic clove finely chopped 

• 1 teaspoon olive oil 

• 1 tablespoon of grated parmesan 

• Salt

• Pepper 

Method

1. Prepare the Spinach:  Heat the olive oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat, add garlic, and let cook for about 1 minute then add spinach, salt, and pepper. After the spinach has wilted, taste and add more salt and/or pepper if needed. After the spinach is cooked down, add it to a food processor and give it a quick blitz. This is to make sure that the garlic is fully combined but I also like to do this because I find it easier to mix it with the egg after.  Allow the spinach to cool before mixing with the egg. 

2. Mix Ingredients: In a small bowl mix the sautéed spinach and egg. On a clean work surface or in a small mixing bowl, mound the flour and create a well in the center. Then pour the egg and spinach mixture into the well. Add another pinch of salt. 

3. Combine: Using a fork, gradually mix the egg and spinach mixture into the flour, starting from the inside and working outward. Once the mixture becomes too thick to mix with a fork, use your hands to finish the process of combining everything into a dough.

4. Knead: Knead the dough for around 7-10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. Sometimes the dough can get a bit dry, if that’s the case add a little bit of water, a teaspoon at a time. If it's too sticky and you’re far from that smooth texture, add a little bit of flour.

5. Rest: Once the dough is smooth and elastic, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. If you don’t plan on making the pasta until later in the day or the next, pop it in the fridge. 

6. Roll Out: After resting the pasta, roll out the dough into a thin sheet. You can use a pasta machine or a rolling pin. I do both :). I do a starter roll out with my rolling pin and then I pop the slightly elongated dough into my pasta machine. I have a traditional, old-school pasta machine that attaches to my table. You want the dough to be of average thickness, around 1/8 inch thick.  TIP: Don’t forget to dust the dough with flour as needed to prevent sticking. 

7. Shape: Once rolled out, you can cut the dough into the pasta shape you want. I did a sort of fettuccine for this dish, which I love, but spaghetti works too.  At this point I let the pasta sit for a little bit while I make the sauce. 

8. Cook: Jump to the sauce before cooking 

SAGE, BUTTER, GARLIC, & CHILI PASTA SAUCE

Ingredients: 

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced, I always use 4 because I love garlic but you don’t have to

• 10 fresh sage leaves

• 1 small red chili pepper, thinly sliced

• Salt and black pepper to taste, keep in mind that the parmesan cheese will also add some saltiness so don’t overdo it

Method

• Heat a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt.

• Once the butter has melted, add the minced garlic to the pan. Cook the garlic, stirring frequently, until it becomes fragrant and just begins to turn golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Don’t let it burn.

• Add the sage leaves and sliced chili pepper to the pan. Stir well to combine 

• Continue cooking the sauce for another 1-2 minutes, allowing the sage and chili flavors to infuse into the butter. Keep your eye on it and stir continuously to prevent burning 

• Season the sauce with salt and black pepper to taste, don’t forget the parm is coming up

• Once the sauce is ready, remove it from the heat and put it to the side.

• Now cook your spinach pasta by bringing a small pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fresh pasta for 2-3 minutes or until al dente. Don’t forget that fresh pasta cooks much quicker than dried pasta, so keep an eye on it.

• Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the sage, butter, garlic, and chili sauce. Toss well to coat the pasta evenly with all of the delicious sauce. Garnish with the grated parmesan cheese

My papoter and pasta moment.