Crab, lemon and tomato spaghetti

Well, what can I say, the joys of motherhood have just seen me through the first major illness of little Max - ear infection, temperatures of around 40 C over three days, with no drug on earth able to keep it down... and no sleep, but that goes without saying, doesn't it! In situations like this, there's only two things you can do: a) find someone reliable to look after the little darling even if just for 30 minutes, allowing to to take a deep breath in and find your centre again, and b) eat. You might wonder how I could do the former standing in a queue at the fishmongers, but it did have the desired effect, and the latter might not seem to be an obvious choice either; how to cook with a baby screaming from ear aches (and the first teeth coming through at the same time)? I just used my BabyBjörn carrier and chopped away merrily - he was enjoying the proximity to his mother and I the proximity to the hearth!
The following recipe was a great choice as there’s not much cooking per se involved, yet the result is an utterly delicious meal full of happiness and sunshine - adding some mellow music, in the form of my recent purchase, Vienna Teng, this is just what I needed to forget the strain that carrying a 10 kg baby around for hours and hours had put on my poor old back!

Crab, lemon and tomato spaghetti
(serves 4)

400 g spaghetti
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
juice of 2 lemons (plus the flesh remaining in the juicer)
2 spring onions (finely chopped, white and as much green as possible)
1 red chilli (membranes removed if you’re heat-sensitive)
1 handful basil (chopped)
120 ml olive oil
400 g white crab meat
200 g cherry tomatoes (cut into small wedges)

Cook the pasta to package instructions, combine all the other ingredients in a bowl and leave to infuse. Drain the pasta and stir in the sauce, then serve immediately.

Comments

[Jennifer]

Wow! I feel for you...I really do. But that pasta dish looks amazing! I'm always impressed when moms can take the time to cook while their lives are in such havoc! You are an inspiration, Jo!

[Niki]

Oh no - poor Max! I suffered from two ear infections this year and I had never imagined the type of excruciating pain they cause. I never thought such a small area could cause such a ligh level of pain; only prescription painkillers dulled the pain enough to drop into a fitful doze. At times I was screaming in pain, so I can only imagine the agony and bewilderment a baby would feel.
And you managed to cook through it! What a trooper!!