Work Text:
There was a little shop on the corner of Florence Gardens and Duke‘s Gate. He cycled past it on his way to and from the Academy three times a week. For the first two months the shop was boarded up, the windows painted white in stark contrast to the Art Deco shop front. The shop front was also blue.
When he first rode past it one chilly, clear November morning, the windows were clean, and an artist was painting the little shop‘s name on the blue wood in white lettering. The blue wood had received a new coat, but it was still a bit off. Not quite TARDIS blue.
On his way back from the Academy Library it was dark already, but the spotlights mounted above the lettering weren’t turned on yet. In the orange glow of the street lights he could read the name: Rocket Science – Books for Cooks. He smiled and cycled on.
Two days later on his way home he saw that they had opened. In fact it was their opening night. They had set up chairs and tables in the centre of the room. The smells from a hot food stall on the pavement outside accompanied his ride down Duke’s Gate, and as he slowed down to look he realised how hungry he was. He stopped and made his way over to find out what was on offer. Samples of recipes from the cookbooks inside were being used to entice people through the door to explore the new shop.
“Hello, Doctor.”
He did a double take. The warm light was spilling out onto the pavement, and the air was filled with the sound of laughter and people talking. “Hello, Sue,” he said, looking at one of his students. “So this is your fabulous new job.” She had been telling everyone in class about her fabulous new job, but had never disclosed just what it was.
“Would you like to come in? The mamfe is really delicious. We’ve got steamed couscous, too, not the quick-cook stuff,” she enthused. Sue was wearing her most winning smile and a smart apron.
“Yeah, why not?” he said, getting off his bike. After he had locked his bike up and stashed his satchel behind the till, he found himself sitting at the huge table in the centre of the room, a steaming bowl of couscous and vegetables cooked in a creamy peanut sauce in front of him. Soft music was playing, and the patrons were chatting pleasantly.
“This is very good,” he said. It was, and not only because he was ravenous.
Sue beamed.
-:-
He went back the next day. It was a Saturday, and Rose had gone to the office to write and file the report on her latest case.
“You’re back,” Sue said, sounding surprised.
“I survived the night,” the Doctor said, “thought I might give your place a try. What’s for lunch?”
“Sorry, no food today.”
“Anything you can recommend?” he asked, looking around the room. All of the walls were taken up by book cases, neatly labelled for those who had some idea of what they were looking for. He had come out of curiosity, and completely clueless.
“Well, what do you fancy cooking?”
“Anything. My girlfriend’s working late,” he said. “I thought I’d surprise her.”
Sue laughed. It was deep, throaty sound, matching her voice. She was a very cheerful person. “With the chaos in the kitchen?”
“Oi!” the Doctor cried. The thing was, Sam was right. Chances were he’d make a mess of the kitchen rather than impress Rose with his culinary artistry. “I’m good at making pasta.”
“Pasta’s always good,” Sue agreed. “How about home-made pasta?”
He furrowed his brow. “We wanted to avoid a mess in the kitchen.”
“It’s really easier than you think,” Sue assured him. She pulled out the chair he had occupied the previous night for him. The table was now covered in books and magazines. He sat obediently and looked at the book she put down in front of him. It was about pasta.
“Translated from the original Italian,” Sue explained, opening the book to an illustrated step-by-step guide to making your own ravioli. The Doctor was torn between being insulted and intrigued. His curiosity got the better of him. As always.
“I’ve tried this,” Sue said, thumbing the pages until she found what she was looking for. “It’s delicious.”
“Ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta in sage butter?” he read, sighing. Some of the recipes sounded so fantastic and complicated that Rocket Science seemed an excellent name for the shop.
He bought the book, and the pasta machine, and the ravioli cutter.
-:-
Sue had failed to mention how soft and smooth the dough felt rolled out into a thin sheet. He covered his lower arm with it as he transferred the dough from the kitchen table to the counter, where he had set out the prepared stuffing and ravioli cutter. Ten minutes later, he was putting the cut out, stuffed yellow suns onto parchment paper.
Half an hour later, he had made about three dozen of the ravioli.
There was flour everywhere, because you didn’t want the dough to clump.
Rose, when she came home, didn’t know whether to look exasperated or amused.
She settled for the latter once the Doctor set a plate of ravioli in sage butter before her.
“I have a new hobby,” he declared, enjoying the pasta. He didn’t let on, however, how amazed he was about the result. Sam was right.
“Yes?” Rose asked, in between two mouthfuls.
“Rocket Science.”
-:-
Ravioli with spinach and ricotta in sage butter (recipe by yours truly)
Dough:
Make a smooth dough from 1 egg and 100g flour per person, plus olive oil and a bit of water. Roll out as thin as possible – a pasta machine would be helpful.
Coat liberally in flour to prevent sheets of dough from sticking together during the whole process.
Stuffing:
Defrost two handfuls of spinach, squeeze until dry and cut up finely. Mix with 250g ricotta, season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and two tbsp roasted, finely chopped pine nuts (if you roast the pine nuts, do so in an ungreased frying pan. Be careful, though, the nuts roast quickly once the pan is hot).
Using a tea spoon, put stuffing on sheet of dough about 2 inches apart on one half of the sheet of dough. Whisk up one egg and brush in a circle around stuffing. Fold over the empty half of the dough, and press down firmly but carefully around stuffing to make the two layers of dough stick together. Use a cookie cutter or ravioli cutter to cut out ravioli. If you’re using a cookie cutter (any shape), make sure the edges are closed firmly.
Cook ravioli.
Melt butter in a frying pan, add sage leaves. Add some of the water from the pasta pot.
Pour a little of the sage butter and sage leaves over the ravioli before serving and sprinkle with grated (parmesan) cheese.