By: Kara Kimbrough
Disclaimer: I haven’t watched Meghan Markle’s Netflix cooking show, "With Love, Meghan.” I admired Princess Diana and have similar feelings for Prince William, as well as his wife, Princess Kate. Stodgy King Charles and Meghan’s husband, Harry…not so much. I assumed the cooking show would be more about Meghan than the introduction of new recipes and useful kitchen tips. From online clips and comments from those who've watched it, my assumption was somewhat correct. However, a few things piqued my interest, including using a multi-colored crudité and hummus board to increase my daily vegetable intake and making one pot pasta.
"With Love, Meghan" isn't entirely about food. In the first few episodes, Meghan interspersed crafts and DIY projects with recipes. How to make homemade bath salts and crafting beeswax candle using wax extracted from backyard bee hives were two of the more interesting projects.
I haven’t watched the show in its entirety, so I hesitate to be too critical. From online clips, it appears to have been filmed in a beautiful, albeit rented home using soft lighting, there’s a lush vegetable and flower garden out back and the food does look appetizing, if not a bit simplistic.
Recipes she and her guest chefs shared included truffle popcorn, honey lemon layer cake with raspberries, salt-baked fish with roasted tomatoes, Korean fried chicken, carrot top pesto and a meal I’d actually make - sun tea, focaccia and pasta salad. Similarly, I was intrigued by her one pot pasta – until, that is, critics quickly shared that Martha Stewart did the same thing years ago.
I hurriedly searched for Martha’s version and vaguely remember making it years ago. It’s been around for quite a while, so it’s not a stretch to think Meghan gained "inspiration” from Martha’s version.
Just as I did years ago, I made a few adjustments, primarily in the substitution of canned tomatoes for cherry tomatoes. When tomatoes are in season, using chopped fresh ones is an even better idea.
While searching for one pan dinner, I ran across a recipe for a version of one of my favorite dishes, lasagna, that requires no layering and cooks together in less time than the baked version. And as the name suggests, there’s only one pan to wash. Drop me an email and I’ll share the recipe with you.
For now, I’ll leave Meghan to her bee-keeping and crudité tray-arranging without further comment. But I remain grateful to her for reintroducing me to one of Martha’s best inventions...and who knows, making a beeswax candle (without the live bees) might be in my future.
One-Pan Pasta
1 pound pasta (thin pasta works best)
14.5 ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 sprigs basil
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 cups water
Parmesan cheese, optional
Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red-pepper flakes, basil, oil, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and water in a large straight-sided skillet (pasta should lay flat; break in half if your pan is small).
Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil mixture, stirring and turning pasta frequently with tongs or a fork, until pasta is al dente and water has nearly evaporated, about 9 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with basil. Serve with olive oil and Parmesan, optional.
(Adapted from Martha Stewart’s recipe)
Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at kkprco@yahoo.com.
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