Pecorino Pasta

Afternoon walks are my jam lately.🚶🏻‍♀️ Being outside makes me feel grounded and connected to nature.  And as an added bonus - I get to visit my favorite animals along my 5 mile loop around the neighborhood too.  Sometimes while I walk, I listen to audio books, sometimes I put on my favorite upbeat tunes and some days I practice my Italian lessons but I always have carrots or apples in my hand to feed the donkey and the cow.  😅

My running career came to an abrupt end 15 years ago and for a long time, accepting that my running days were behind me, was a struggle. #whimpyankleproblems I avoided walking the same sidewalks that I used to run because it brought back painful memories of my running days.  I didn't even want to wear the same shoes that used to carry me through my distance runs.👟 To be perfectly honest, I spent a lot of years being resentful of people who still had the option to run.  It was surprisingly difficult to have to set that part of my life aside.  I say surprisingly, because I never knew how much I loved running until I had to give it up.  

I'd like to say that my self reflection and analysis of not being able to run was brief but the truth is, that it took years for me to actually work through the grief of losing my ability to run.  I continued to exercise but I just wasn't able to achieve the same fulfilling feeling that I had gotten after a long run.  I tried everything.  Swimming, yoga, P90X, biking - pretty much everything that didn't involve repetitive impact on my right foot.  

I'm not proud of it but I spent years feeling resentful about what I had to give up instead of feeling grateful for my ability to walk.🤦🏻‍♀️  But something changed this Spring and I started to take some long walks again.  Turns out that I wasn't grieving my inability to run, after all.  What I really missed was outdoor exercise. 🤷🏻‍♀️  My new walk routine has me given me a renewed feeling of gratefulness for the ability to breath fresh air and for my ability to move.   There are still days when I have to stop my brain from telling me that I could accomplish the same miles in less time if I could run and focus on my appreciation of walking.  

I will say that on the days that I get to go for a long walk, my attitude is better and my whole day just seems to run smoother.  Walking outside gives me new perspective on life and it helps me make better decisions for the rest of my day.  I also know that I am far hungrier on the days that I log and extra 5 miles in my tennis shoes. 😬 I crave carbs and cheese and all the comfort foods that feed my soul.  This pecorino pasta has earned a spot in our pasta repertoire - especially on walk days.  

Pecorino Pasta 
2 eggs
1/2 grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups pasta

Beat eggs in bowl.

Beat in parmesan, pecorino, parsley, salt and pepper.  

Bring pot of water to a boil.  Stir in pasta and 1 1/2 t. salt and cook to al dente.

Reserve 1/4 c. pasta water.  Drain pasta. 

Add egg mixture and 1 T. pasta water to saucepan and stir until cheese melts. 

Adjust consistency by adding reserved pasta water as needed. Add pasta.

Some blog posts are all about the recipes and some posts are more focused on my stories.  I was feeling long winded today which means that there wasn't a lot of talk about this delicious Pecorino Pasta recipe.  I don't feel like it got the spotlight that it deserves but don't let that discourage you from trying it.   It is really good - especially after a long walk.   😂
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Ciao!

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