A Visit with Beth - Pasta with Arugula, Pine Nuts & Lemon Sesame Vinaigrette

I have a serious love of hotel rooms. Sparkling clean, crisp white sheets, giant beds, mini-toiletries, mountains of pillows, and of course, mini-bars. I can't get enough of hotel rooms. If I could move into one, I probably would. Depending on the hotel, of course...

This weekend my dear friend Beth invited me to stay over in the hotel room she'd booked while she was at a conference in Sacramento. I was happy to join her and we reveled in lounging about, catching up, drinking champagne and splurging on dinner. It's not often that we get to see each other as we live on opposite coasts now, she in Georgetown and me in the Bay, but we've done pretty well this year as far as the visits go, 3 times now in the last 6 months. A record since college.

There's nothing quite like staying up till all hours of the night, chatting away with a best friend in a hotel suite in another city. Far from all responsibilities and reminders of being back at work on Monday. We had a lovely dinner at Grange in Sacramento, where we both got our fill of house-made pasta. Thanks to Les for the suggestion!

Which reminds me of a dish I started to throw together in college. One I still make fairly often. It combines fresh Arugula with pine nuts, a lemony-garlic vinaigrette and sesame oil. It's delicious, and every time I make it, it seems I can't get enough. It's a great week night dinner.



Pasta with Arugula, Pine Nuts and Lemon Sesame Vinaigrette

Your choice of pasta, enough for 4 people. I recommend bowtie or penne.
Juice of 1 large lemon
2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp dark sesame oil
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
6 cups arugula or baby arugula
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine lemon juice, sesame oil, garlic and a pinch of salt. Whisk together. Toast pine nuts in toaster oven or over the stove in a skillet. Place Arugula in a bowl, add cooked pasta and let sit for about a minute so that the arugula wilts from the heat of the pasta. Toss together with pine nuts and vinaigrette, top with Parmesan and salt & pepper to taste.

When the Tomatoes are Ripe - Tomato Basil Pasta

When August rolls around I only crave tomatoes. It seems they've been later than ever in coming around this year. But they're finally here. And that means one thing: Tomato Basil Pasta. It's my all time favorite. It tastes like summer, and it's about as perfect as a simple dish can get. My friends request it time after time. It's what I always make to impress whomever it is that is I want to impress. And it can only be made in the late summer months when each ingredient is at its very best.

It reminds me of late summer dinners on the porch, still dripping wet from our swimming pool. Of a warm Mediterranean night in Corsica when dinner started at 1opm and ended around 2am. Of a summer in Santa Cruz, cooking in the most gorgeous kitchen I've ever seen for people I loved. Of cooking for one in a stuffy studio apartment over the plaza in Ashland, Oregon with the first bottle of wine I got for free from the winery I worked at. Of a late night dinner eaten out of Tupperware in a caboose in Dunsmuir, while the rain poured and the wind howled outside, and we were on our first road trip together.

There's something about a dish that brings about that kind of nostalgia. It's comforting. And it feels important when you make it.

But be forewarned. Do not even attempt to make this dish when tomatoes are not in season. You will be sorely disappointed.

This is less of a recipe, and more of a set of guidelines. This is all about how it tastes to you. Measuring out tablespoons and teaspoons would just ruin it:

Tomato Basil Pasta

Pasta (I used fresh porcini pasta from Phoenix Pastaficio) bowtie and penne shapes are especially good for this.
good tomatoes, roughly chopped (I used 4 medium heirlooms, green, gold and red)
3-4 cloves of garlic, I mince the garlic and then create a sort of paste with the back of my knife and some kosher salt. You want the garlic to mix well with the juice of the tomatoes, almost like a salsa. If you don't make the garlic paste, mince it very finely
Basil, torn into small pieces, about 3/4 a cup to 1 cup
good extra virgin Olive Oil, a few tablespoons
Fresh Parmesan

Mix the tomatoes, basil, garlic and olive oil together. Add kosher salt to taste and let sit to sort of macerate for a half hour or so. Do not refrigerate.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted, boiling water, according to package directions. If you're using fresh pasta (which I recommend) this should only take a couple minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the tomato mixture. Taste, add salt and freshly ground pepper if needed. Top with grated or shaved Parmesan. Serve and enjoy.

Your Mother Was Right + A Birthday - Capellini with Shrimp and Tomatoes

"Listen to your Mother." It's a common phrase, one almost all of us have heard at some point or another, some of us ad nausium. And yet...very often we didn't. We insisted on learning for ourselves the hard way. Even if we knew she was right. And that was the most frustrating part of it. Knowing she was right, and ignoring the advice anyway.

My Mother has an impressive track record when it comes to intuition and advice. As much as I sometimes hate to admit it, I know that when she has advice to offer, I should listen. I can't think of one boyfriend or friend she was ever wrong about. I didn't take her advice as often as I should have, but, these days, with her stats being what they are, hers is the advice I ask for and most often take. I wish I'd taken it more often growing up. Her many years of social work speak for themselves. Not for nothing!

When it comes to food, her instincts are pretty spot on as well. She has a way with seafood pasta, and it brings to mind weeks spent at the beach on the Northern California Coast. Buying live crab and bringing it back to the house where they would meet their fate in a pot of boiling water. My Father would don an apron and crack the crab (when we did this at home our cat would attach himself to my Dad's leg, clawing away in a crab frenzy) and my Mom would make the most basic of seafood pasta's. Good seafood, pasta, garlic, lemon and white wine. Toss in some parsley, maybe some capers and tomatoes, throw in some crusty bread, a bottle of wine, a leafy salad and we were set.

It's still one of my all-time favorite meals. It's not often that I see a seafood pasta on a menu that I can resist...and yet, it's never quite as good as my Mom's. There's nothing quite like homemade, especially when it's a team effort.

On a side note, yesterday was my Father's 70th Birthday. When it comes to the lottery of being born into a family, I hit the jackpot, I'm well aware. And I couldn't be more thankful, more loved, supported or lucky. Happy Birthday Dad, words can't express how much I love you, and how thankful I am that you are my Father. You are the best man I know, and nothing makes me more proud than to say that you are my Dad.





Capellini with Shrimp and Tomatoes

3/4 lb capellini
1 lb large shrimp, peeled & deveined (I used frozen)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
juice of 1 lemon
a pinch of red pepper flakes, more if you like a lot of spice
1/2 bunch of parley, chopped
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes

Heat the oven to 300 and roast the tomatoes on a pan for 20-30 minutes, until they start to shrivel and darken in color. You can also skip this part and just saute the tomatoes with the garlic.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. In the meantime, heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high. Once the pan is hot and the butter is melted, turn the heat to medium and add the garlic. Saute for about a minute, taking care not to burn the garlic. Add the chili flakes.

Add the shrimp to the garlic and cook until the shrimp is almost cooked through and turning pink, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and lemon juice and turn the heat to low. Remove the shrimp, and turn the heat under the pan to medium-high, reducing the wine, lemon and garlic liquid a bit. You should end up with about 3/4 cup of liquid.

At this point, the capellini should be ready to cook. Cook according to directions, about 3 minutes. Drain and add to the skillet with the wine, lemon and garlic. Add in the shrimp, tomatoes and parsley. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and Parmesan. Serve hot.

One of Those Days - Pasta with Peas, Parsley, Mint & Bacon

Have you ever had one of those days?

You know, where you wake up after a long, restless night thinking it's Friday. But it's not. It's Tuesday.

You drag yourself out of bed to make some coffee, and realize you are out of filters. So you vow to get your coffee when you get to work, and you get yourself out the door and down to the bus stop. And when you get there it starts to rain. Actually, it starts to pour. And you're without an umbrella. And you're too stubborn to miss the bus and take the next one to go get it. So you get on the bus dripping wet and there's a fight halfway through your commute. So the bus driver stops the bus to break it up and all you can think is, "How is it possible that it is 9:30 in the morning, people are fighting and I haven't even had my coffee yet?"

So you get to work and you make it through the day, sustained only by a single thought: "Tonight, I will make cake." You rush to the grocery store and grab all the necessary ingredients, and you head home, pre-heat your oven...and then you realize...you forgot to get butter. A very necessary ingredient for cake. And you had the perfect blog post for this cake all ready to go. But there will be no cake. Because there is no butter.

Yeah. I had one of those days.

There was no cake. Instead, I went to the gym. And then I made pasta. Because dammit, one way or another, I was going to get my carb fix tonight.

Stay tuned for cake.




Pasta with Peas, Parsley, Mint & Bacon
adapted from Bon Appetit

1 16 ounce package pasta (I used Gemelli, shells would also be great)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 16 ounce package frozen petite peas (do not thaw)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
3 strips of bacon, chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 375. Place bacon strips on a foil lined baking sheet. Cook for 25 minutes, then drain over paper towels. Chop.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stir occasionally until just tender but still firm to the teeth. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Return the pasta to the pot.

While the pasta is cooking, place a large skillet over medium-high and bring the cream to a simmer. Add peas and simmer until just heated through, about 1-2 minutes. Add most of the Parmesan and stir until melted and the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute. Stir in the mint, and most of the parsley. Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss to coat, adding pasta cooking liquid a little at a time if too dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and Parmesan and serve.

Home, Home, Again - Pasta With Beet Greens

I miss Maui. I missed it as soon as the airplane took off and the turquoise waters and lush green mountains disappeared underneath me.

I walked out of my apartment in Berkeley in a tank top this morning. That was wishful thinking. It was only about 65 outside. Lovely for the Bay Area in Spring, but no 85 degree Maui weather. I spun around and walked right back inside to change.

I tried to remember to enjoy every second of the trip. I haven't been anywhere tropical since I was 13. Time seems to move so much more quickly when you're hyper conscious about not losing a single second of it. It slips away so fast!

It was the quintessential vacation, and I hope to go back to Maui sometime soon. (A girl can dream!)

But, more on the trip later. For now, a recipe. A great one.

I made this pasta with the leftover beet greens from the beet hummus. I have to say, I was expecting it to be fairly good (I love beet greens) but instead I got something amazing. I could have slurped the balsamic reduction up with a spoon, it was so good. And it looked unbelievably pretty on the plate. All fuchsia and maroon. I sort of danced around after the first bite, wishing someone else was present to witness and taste this glorious dish. It's the kind of dish that's meant to be shared, so, in that case, I'll have to make it again.




Pasta With Beet Greens
adapted from Gourmet
serves 6

1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 medium red onions (1 lb), halved and thinly sliced lengthwise
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 lb beet greens with stems (from about 2 bunches beets), stems cut into 1-inch pieces and leaves cut crosswise into 3-inch-wide pieces, divided
1 cup water, divided
3/4 lb spaghetti, bowtie pasta or penne
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add pine nuts and toast, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Add garlic to oil remaining in skillet and cook, stirring, until golden. Add onions and 1/4 tsp salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add vinegar and cook, stirring, until most is evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add beet stems, 3/4 cup water, and 1/2 tsp salt and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until stems begin to soften, about 12 minutes.

Cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water (2 Tbsp salt for 6 qt water) until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta.

Meanwhile, add beet leaves to onion mixture in handfuls, turning each handful with tongs until the leaves are wilted before adding next batch. Add remaining 1/4 cup water and 1/4 tsp salt and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add olives, then add pasta and cook, tossing and moistening with some of the cooking water as necessary, just until liquid has thickened slightly. Serve sprinkled with pine nuts.

So Spoiled - Bolognese Sauce

February in the Bay Area. It's a bit unreal actually. The trees are bursting into blossom, the hills are a bright and verdant green, the temperature hovers around 65 or so, every so often creeping it's way up to 70, and the chill of the winter sun starts to subside a bit, giving off a warm, gentle light that promises spring is just around the corner.

We're spoiled here. A light sweatshirt or sweater will do when walking around town. The farmer's markets are open year round, and the outdoor German beer hall, The Tourist Club on Mt. Tam, never closes. Even in the dead of a Bay Area winter.

To be fair, it was a bit cold on Mt. Tam yesterday. A jacket was required. But once you scrounged out a patch of sun on the big wooden deck, it was warm and beautiful.

The Tourist Club happens to be my favorite Bay Area hike. I'm a fan of destination hikes. Especially when they end in tasty and refreshing beverages. It just makes it all seem worth it. And if the beer wasn't enough, there's the view.

Not bad, eh? The picture doesn't do it it justice.

So, after a decent hike, and a pint of beer, the chill in the air gained a bit of a bite. Clouds were rolling in and the forecast called for rain. I knew a simmering bolognese was in my future.

I've been craving Italian food lately. Actually, I almost always crave a bowl of pasta and a good sauce. There's something so right about it. I turned my attention to my Le Cruset, laundry and the Olympics. A pretty good Saturday evening, if you ask me. I'd had more than a few nights out in the past week and I was dying to stay home and relax. This bolognese really hit the spot.

I sort of riffed off Macella Hazan (for her inclusion of tomatoes and her pinch of nutmeg) and Mario Batali (for his use of garlic). I wouldn't call this sauce strictly authentic. That would require less tomatoes and zero garlic, I think. Two things that, in my mind, always enhance a sauce. I really couldn't have been happier with the results. The epitome of comfort.

Bolognese Sauce
adapted from Marcella Hazan & Mario Batali
serves about 6

4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 lb ground beef
1 cup milk
1 cup dry white wine
1 whole nutmeg, or a pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2 tube tomato paste
1 cup canned Italian plum tomatoes, diced or torn into pieces, with juice
1-¼ to 1-½ pounds pasta, cooked and drained
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Parmesan for topping

Heat oil, butter and chopped onion in a heavy 3-½-quart pot and turn heat to medium. Cook and stir onion until it has become translucent, then add chopped celery and carrot. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring vegetables to coat well.

Add ground beef, a large pinch of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Crumble meat with a fork, stir well and cook until the beef has browned, and the red color has disappeared from the meat.

Add the milk and simmer gently, stirring frequently until the liquid has evaporated. Add a tiny pinch or grate of the nutmeg and stir.

Next, add the wine. Let the liquid simmer until it has evaporated, then add the tomatoes and tomato paste, and stir to coat all ingredients. Once the mixture beings to bubble, turn the heat to low and continue to cook at a low simmer for 1 1/2 hours. If time permits, simmer for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Taste for salt and pepper. Cook pasta in salted water according to directions. When pasta is cooked and drained, add half a tablespoon of butter to the pasta, top with sauce and Parmesan. Serve while hot.

What Makes Sense - Curried Udon Noodles

At least cooking makes sense. At least I know that if I put coconut, ginger, lemongrass and lime together, I'll end up with something I like. I appreciate the certainty of that, when nothing else makes sense and when every other small task seems so pointless and drab, at least there's that.

When disappointment strikes it starts in physicality. I feel heavy and tired, quiet and at a loss for words. I go a bit numb and the world around me starts to blur. There's really nothing to do but sit with it for awhile, to piece through and reflect and regroup as best you can. Everyone needs their own time to deal with it, to mourn and recover, and hopefully when you emerge from that place of recovery, you come out of it with new ideas and realizations about where you're headed and what the opportunities are.

And hopefully by then you've also done several loads of laundry, cleaned the house, watched some sappy movies and worked up a couple of killer recipes.

I've only crossed two of those things off the list so far, care to guess which ones?

It irks me to no end that I can't get a decent picture now that it gets dark so early. Please forgive the photos and the insufficient lighting. Please know that, pictures aside, this is really a great dish. So satisfying and delicious. Everything I like about a Thai style soup; coconut, lime, lemongrass and ginger thrown together with crisp stir-fried vegetables and thick udon noodles. And the best part? It's meant to be slurped up out a big bowl. If you upped the amount of coconut milk and lime, it could be a soup, but I wanted it to be a saucy noodle dish. So, so good.


Curried Udon Noodles

1 tbsp peanut oil
12 ounces fresh udon noodles (or 2 single serving packages)
1/2 package extra firm tofu, cut into cubes
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
2 baby bok choy, ends trimmed off and discarded, cut lengthwise into ribbons
1/2 cup snow peas
1/3 cup frozen shelled edamame
1/3 cup fresh mushrooms (I used oyster mushrooms) coarsely chopped
4 green onions, chopped diagonally

For the Curry Sauce -

1 cup coconut milk
3 stalks lemongrass

2 tbsp fish sauce

3 limes

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp curry powder

salt to taste

Trim the stalks of the lemongrass and bruise to release the oils. Remove the outer stalks from the inner core. Mince the core and set aside (should provide about 1 tsp). Cut the stalks in half and place in a saucepan with the fish sauce, juice of 2 limes and the lime rinds. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk, curry, minced lemongrass core, and sugar. Continue to cook while stirring until the mixture is yellow. Remove from heat and salt to taste, set aside.

Heat the peanut oil in a saute pan over medium heat, and bring a pot of water to boil. Add the tofu and stir fry until slightly browned. Add the carrots and mushrooms, stir for a minute more. Next, add bell pepper, edamame and snow peas. Saute until the vegetables are tender and then add bok choy and green onions. Turn off the heat and stir until the bok choy is wilted.

While stir-frying vegetable, cook the udon noodles for about 3 minutes (or according to package directions). Toss noodles in a large bowl with the vegetables, tofu and curried coconut sauce. Salt to taste and serve while warm.

Rushing - Linguine with Tuna, Cherry Tomatoes & Herbs

It took about 20 minutes to sneak a little cooking into the schedule tonight. Well, hardly cooking. Opening a can, boiling some water for pasta, throwing some things into a saute pan and running my knife through a handful of herbs. But it felt so good. I'm so excited to have some time this weekend to finally delve into my new Ad Hoc cookbook. I woke up the other morning to the sounds of "mmmm...." coming from the chair Daniel occupied after getting up early for coffee. He was thumbing through the pages and lingering on the photographs. The leek bread pudding seemed to catch his eye. I myself still have my heart set on the chocolate chip cookie recipe.

So after 20 minutes of "cooking" tonight, and 10 minutes of shoving it into my mouth, I rushed off to the theatre. Tonight was our first night in front of an audience. It was an impressive crowd. It's always a bit of a revelation to see what happens to a show once it has an audience. To find the laughs and feel the energy. As a cast, we were relieved to finally feel what it was like with this show. To hear the first collective laugh is always a bit of a rush, not to mention totally addictive.

So, just two more nights of rushed dinners and leftover lunches for now. Thanks to my friend Denise in Ireland (and Happy Anniversary by the way!) for the Monkfish recipe suggestion, which I'm dying to try. And as I said, suggestions are welcome! This show runs for five more weeks and this girl needs ideas!

This is a great, quick recipe. Don't skimp on the herbs, there should be a ton. They really brighten the flavor of this dish.

Linguine with Tuna, Cherry Tomatoes & Herbs

1/2 lb linguine, cooked according to package directions
1 can Italian tuna packed in olive oil (the quality of tuna makes a huge difference in this recipe, so spring for the good stuff!)
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped mint
1/3 cup chopped basil
1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Parmesan for serving
salt and pepper to taste

Boil water and cook the pasta. Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Saute the shallots until tender and translucent. Add the garlic and saute a minute more. Add tuna and tomatoes, turn up the heat and saute about 3-4 minutes more. Add pasta to the tuna mixture and toss with herbs, vinegar and salt and pepper. Serve with Parmesan.

Healthy Appetite - Spaghetti with Braised Kale & Crimini Mushrooms

I was lying in bed working on my laptop when I heard the refrigerator door open. It closed a few seconds later, and the cabinet door opened. When that shut, I heard the distinctive rustle of a plastic bag. "What are you eating in there?" I asked Daniel, knowing full well I didn't have much food in the house. A short pause, and then, "umm...pine nuts."

Ladies and Gentleman, it's official. This house is out of food.

Although, in my defense, we'd just finished off the last of my first loaf of bread only minutes earlier, and man, he has one healthy appetite (being 6'4 will do that to you I guess.)

Between work and rehearsal it can be tough to get to the store on a weeknight. As it is I need to bike home as fast as I can at the end of the day to be able to sneak in a quick bite before running off to the theatre. Thank god for Leah who kindly brought me two more bunches of kale from the Tuesday farmer's market this week. Thrown together with some Crimini mushrooms and tossed with spaghetti, it came together in 20 minutes, it's healthy and it was absolutely delicious.

Unfortunately I realized too late that Daniel had left me some pine nuts in the bag. How kind of him. Next time I'll throw them in as well.

Aaaaaannnd on another very exciting note: Tah-dah!!!!!


Look what arrived in the mail today! Thomas Kellar's Ad Hoc at Home cookbook! The ultimate in comfort food recipes. And let me tell you, this book is coffee table worthy. I keep opening it up and thumbing through the pages. I must confess it stayed open on my desk at work for a good portion of the day after lunch. Oh, there are good things to come from that book and onto this blog! I for one, cannot wait!

Spaghetti with Braised Kale & Crimini Mushrooms
adapted from Molly Weizenberg in Bon Appetit

1/2 lb spaghetti or bucatini, cooked according to the package directions
1 large bunch of Lacinato kale
1/2 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
1 cup Crimini mushrooms
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp or more fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan for serving

Put a pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta. In the meantime, remove the large center ribs from the kale and slice into thin ribbons. Set aside. Dice the onion and garlic, and slice the mushrooms thinly. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat, when the olive oil is hot (it will dimple slightly when you tilt the pan) add the onion, saute about 3 minutes until translucent, next, add the garlic and saute about a minute more, then add the mushrooms. Saute till the mushrooms are tender and brown (adjusting the heat as needed.) When the mushrooms are done, scrape the mixture out of the pan and set aside in a bowl.

At this time the pasta water should be about ready to boil. Put the pasta in and cook according to directions. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over high heat in the saute pan, when it's hot enough, add the kale and let sit in the pan for about 1 minute before stirring. Saute about 3-4 minutes over high heat, stirring occasionally. Next, add the onion mixture back in. When the pasta is done, drain (reserving a small bit of the pasta water in case you need it at the end) and add to the saute pan with the kale and onions. Toss in the pan with lemon juice and salt and pepper. If the pasta seems dry, add a bit of the pasta water. Top with Parmesan and serve.

Where is My Mind? - Pasta with Braised Leeks, Porcini Mushrooms and Breadcrumbs

Being a Capricorn, I have extreme anxiety over being late to any kind of occasion. I am the type to always show up at least 5 minutes early to things and I am not usually prone to forgetting when I'm supposed to be somewhere. Which is why I was completely befuddled to arrive out of breath from an ill-fated bike ride (involving several wrong turns-downhill) at rehearsal exactly as it ended on Saturday afternoon, and why the looks on my fellow actors faces were confused as well. I had written down noon-2pm instead of 10am-noon. Oops. Even with the wrong turns, I'd still arrive 10 minutes before I'd planned...which was, unfortunately, in actuality, one hour 45 minutes too late.

I'm not sure where my mind is these days. Even the task of memorizing lines, something that normally comes pretty easily to me, has been more illusive lately. I'm feeling the urge to hunker down with a good book (rather than with my lines, or the pile of laundry that I should be attending to) and procrastination is hovering over me in all areas it seems.

I can't even get it together to pull together a seriously ambitious recipe. When I opened the fridge yesterday the contents seemed disjointed and out of place. I had some fresh pasta that needed to be made that day, 3 large leeks, some prosciutto that also needed to be used up, a head of cauliflower, carrots and mustard greens. I fumbled around through old issues of Gourmet and Bon Appetit, looking for some kind of edible combination. I found a Jamie Oliver recipe online, pasta with braised leeks and Porcini mushrooms. I had a bag of dried mushrooms hanging out in the pantry, some bread and some thyme on the windowsill. Just a few tweaks to the recipe and it all came together nicely.

This is one I'll work on in the future. It's fairly economical and easy to pull together. Don't skimp on the garlic. The next time around, I'll use fresh mushrooms and maybe even some sherry. It came together beautifully, the breadcrumbs and mushrooms added a great texture. The flavors are fairly mild and earthy, which is why I think it's important to use ingredients that are fresh and in season.

Pasta with Braised Leeks, Porcini Mushrooms and Breadcrumbs
adapted from Jamie Oliver

3 large leeks, trimmed and washed
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
2 sprigs of thyme
A small wineglass of white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable stock
2 slices prosciutto or good ham
1/2 lb pasta (I used fresh Porcini Pappardelle, plain fettuccine would also work well)
Parmesan for serving

For the mushrooms and breadcrumbs:

1 small handful dried mushrooms (I used Porcini)
1/2 loaf of country style bread, preferably stale, cut into chunks
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced

*Update 10/22 - upon considering this recipe further and stumbling upon something similar from a Thomas Keller cookbook, I would add about 1 & 1/4 tsp red wine vinegar to the wine and stock when braising the leeks.

Halve the leeks lengthwise and slice into 1/2 inch pieces. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan. When it starts to sizzle, add the garlic and leeks. Stir with a wooden spoon to coat each leek piece in butter. Add the wine, chicken stock, prosciutto and the salt and pepper. Heat a wide saucepan, add a splash of oil and a knob of butter, and when you hear a gentle sizzling add the sliced garlic, thyme leaves and leeks. Move the leeks around so every piece gets coated. Pour in the wine, season with pepper and stir in the stock. place a lid on the pan and cook gently for 25 to 30 minutes. Once the leeks are tender, take the pan off the heat. While the leeks cook, pulse the bread, mushrooms, salt and pepper in a food processor until the whole mixture is breadcrumb like. Heat the olive oil in a sautee pan, add the garlic and sautee for one minute. Fry the crumbs in the oil until golden and crisp. Keep shaking the pan - don't let the bread crumbs catch on the bottom. Drain on paper towels and let the crumbs cool.

Next, cook the pasta in salted water according to the package directions.

Remove the Prosciutto from the saucepan, slice up and stir back into the leeks. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and then stir in the Parmesan. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water, and add the pasta to the leeks. Toss with the crumbs, and add a little of the cooking water if need be to make a sauce to coat the pasta. Serve while hot.

Blown Up - Pappardelle with Brussels Sprouts & Pine Nuts

Hurricane force winds in San Francisco! But it's cozy inside with candles lit, my boy lying on the bed and chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven. It really couldn't be nicer in here. Outside, it's another story. The storm was so intense, and the rain so abundant, that a transformer blew up under the street outside the theatre I work for. Luckily, no one was injured, but it did blow out both tires on a car going past, blow the manhole cover into about a dozen pieces, and it also knocked out all the power on our street. And so, no show tonight. The first time in years we've had to cancel. Not to mention the fact that internet and phones were also down. This creates some difficulties when trying to notify ticket holders that the show they're braving the elements to see will not, as they say, be going on.

But dinner sure did. Thankfully the power is on at my place, and the lines at Berkeley Bowl were mercifully short. And while this is not what we ate for dinner tonight, it is what I had the last two nights. Amber can attest to it's deliciousness, as we had it before our weekly Mad Men fix the other night.

This is my new favorite pasta. No, wait, I take it back. It's my new favorite dinner, period! I've only recently become a brussels sprout convert, but now I'm one of the faithful. This dish can turn any sprout hater the right way 'round. It's one I might soon try on my Father...maybe I won't tell him what's in it till after....

The brussels sprout hash is also terrific on it's own, and there might be a chunkier version of it making an appearance on my Thanksgiving table this year.

Whatever you do, don't skip the cream! It makes the final texture so velvety and rich. The lemon zest brightens it all just a touch. Take care to just slightly brown the nuts. There's nothing worse than burned pine nuts.

Pappardelle with Brussels Sprouts & Pine Nuts

adapted from Gourmet and Orangette

1 lb brussels sprouts, washed & trimmed

1/2 lb pasta

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp pine nuts
Porcini Mushrooms (optional, I think the woody/earthy flavor of these would go great, stirred in and sauteed with the hash)

1 tbsp cream

1 tsp lemon zest

Parmesean

salt & pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta, meanwhile, put the brussels sprouts into a food processor with the slicing attachment. Pulse until all the sprouts are coarsely chopped, about 10-15 seconds. You'll want to cook the pasta first, and start on the brussels sprouts about 5 minutes before the pasta is done. At that point, place a heavy saute pan over medium heat. Add the butter and the olive oil. At this point, you can either cook the pine nuts in the saute pan for about a minute while stirring or toast them in a toaster oven (my preferred method). Add the brussels sprouts to the saute pan with the nuts, and a bit of salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook until the sprouts are slightly tender and just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cream. Toss the brussels sprout mixture with the pasta and top with lemon zest and Parmesean. Serve while hot. Serve 4.

Stormy Weather - Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes, Crispy Breadcrumbs and Kale

A large sign in the farmer's market today proclaimed this week's tomatoes the last of the season. There go the Early Girl's, the Brandywines and the Purple Cherokee's. I'm feeling guilty that I've only managed to can one whole jar, but, considering the fact that it was my first attempt at canning, I am ridiculously proud of that singular jar. Now, let's just hope I followed all directions correctly and that the sterilization techniques worked...I have a healthy fear of botulism.

Fall feels a bit like winter tonight. Apparently we're in for a large storm tonight. I had to turn on my heater for the first time today. I even left the oven door open for a bit when I took out a batch of cookies. Anything to warm my apartment up. They're predicting winds of 40 mph and at least 3 inches of rain. A bit of a hindrance to my bike to work commute, but I have to admit, the first big winterish storm is always a bit of a thrill. We're planning for power-outages, collecting candles and picking out reciepes to stay busy and cozy indoors with. I'm actually pretty thrilled to take the opportunity to stay in, cook and be warm while the wind howls and the rain pours outside.


Speaking of staying in and cooking, Leah and I collaborated on this pasta the other night before our weekly viewing of Project Runway. Nothing like fashion, Tim Gunn and a big bowl of pasta! This was a particularly great combination of roasted tomatoes, crispy oven roasted bread crumbs and sauteed kale. Tossed with olive oil and salt. Doesn't need anything else, except for a dusting of Parmesan of course. It's really not even the kind of thing you need a recipe for. Just roast the tomatoes for about half and hour on a low oven setting, do the same for the bread crumbs, saute the kale in a screaming hot pan, cook the pasta and toss! Delicious and completely addicting. It's the time of year when I start adding kale to everything.

Stranded at the AMPM - Summer Vegetable Lasagna

Thanks, Monday. That was fun. Let's never do it again.

Note the sarcasm.

Turns out it's kind of risky to take my car outside of an 11 mile radius from my apartment, because if it breaks down, that is exactly how far my roadside assistance will cover. After that? $10 per mile. Good to know. Probably would have been smarter to realize that before my four co-workers and I were about 30 miles outside of town, headed to work event. Painful. So painful.

Thankfully, my co-workers are beyond amazing. The kind of people you'd actually enjoy being stranded at an AMPM in the middle of nowhere with. And one of them happened to be covered by AAA, which (depending on your coverage) will cover your towing 100 miles or more. Chris, our tow-truck guy, was very nice, and as luck would have it, my amazing mechanic was still at the shop after 6:30 pm. He bounded up as we pulled up and gave me a pat on the back. "Don't worry," he said "It's not that bad. I promise it won't cost that much." Luckily, I know I can believe him. If anyone needs a good Berkeley mechanic, lemme know!

And that, my friends, was just the best part of my day.

Except for the leftovers of the summer vegetable lasagna I made last night.

It is good. I am exhausted. If you'll excuse me, it is definitely time to end this day. Good. Night.

Also: Seriously, Monday. Never again.


Summer Vegetable Lasagna
Serves 8

1 lb lasagna noodles (in the interest of time, I used the no boil noodles)
1 1/2 cups ricotta
1 1/2 cups spinach (I used frozen)
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped mint
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 zucchini, thinly sliced
2 yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
1 jar spaghetti/marinara sauce (about 24 ounces) divided into thirds

This lasagna is all about the veggies. I made a sort of piperade with the onion, bell peppers and garlic, similar to a ratatouille. This makes for a for a fragrant and tasty filling. Adding squash and fresh summer herbs to that increases the depth of flavor. Overall, it's a pretty healthy dish, a great way to use summer squash and zucchini.

Preheat the over to 350. Butter a 11x14 glass baking dish. Saute the diced bell pepper, onion and garlic over medium heat until fragrant and slightly tender and add a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Spread 1/3 of the spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the dish. Layer 4 lasagna noodles over the sauce. Mix the ricotta cheese with the mint, parsley, salt & pepper. Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the first layer of noodles. Layer half of the zuchini and squash slices over the cheese. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Spread the spinach over that, and over the spinach, spread the onion and pepper mixture. Pour another layer of sauce and sprinkle half the parmesean cheese over that. Add another layer of 4 lasagna noodles, then the last layer of ricotta mixture, the last layer of squash, and the last of the sauce and parmesean over that. Bake for 45-50 minutes, uncovered. Serve.

Tomato, Toh-mato - Orzo Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes, Corn, Feta and Kalmata Olives

I must admit, I am something of a tomato snob. In the summer, they become the main focus of almost every dish I cook. But during the other months of the year, they remain mostly neglected. Tomatoes just aren't the same in the Fall, Winter and Spring. I wait, every year, with great anticipation for the first heirlooms to arrive so that I can finally make my favorite dish, tomato and basil pasta, which I make at least once a week during the summer. A big batch of it sits nearly constantly in my fridge. I crave it almost always and make it every chance I get. It's the most requested recipe amongst my friends, and it's one I'll share soon.

But for now, a cooking by feel recipe. Amber was coming for dinner and I was recreating the coconut curried shrimp dish, but I also had some beautiful tomatoes resting on the counter and fresh greek feta. I was dying for some kind of pasta. Curried shrimp with pasta on the side doesn't make much sense, admittedly, but luckily Amber was willing to overlook that.

Not quite so luckily, she happened to lock her keys inside her car with the engine running right outside my apartment. Never fear. She called AAA, I poured us some rhubarb gin & tonic's and got to work on grilling the shrimp. We chatted, sipped and grilled while keeping an eye out for AAA. Crisis averted and dinner served!


This is one of those cooking by feel recipes for me. I basically took my Mother's tried and true french vinaigrette, mixed it with chopped basil and mint and poured it over the pasta, feta and veggies.

Orzo with Roasted Tomatoes, Corn, Feta and Kalmata Olives

Orzo (1 package cooked according to directions)
2 ears of corn
6 small vine tomatoes
6 ounces greek feta, chopped
8 ounces kalmata olives, pitted and halved
1/2 jar roasted red peppers
3 tbsp basil
2 tbsp mint
6 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp dried oregano
salt & pepper

Heat the oven to 350. Chop the tomatoes and toss with 2 tbsp olive oil, the dried oregano and salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes. Meanwhile, Scrape the corn off the cobs with a knife, set aside in a bowl. Add the chopped feta, olives, red pepper and tomatoes when done. Cook the orzo according to the package directions. Toss with the cheese and veggies.

Mix the mint, basil, 4 tbsp olive oil, lemon, minced garlic, mustard and salt & pepper. Dress the pasta mixture with the dressing. Taste for salt and pepper and season accordingly. Serve warm, at room temperature or even cold.

Just one more day? - Cold Sesame Noodles with Cucumber

The most difficult part of vacation is ending it. Tearing yourself away from the shores of Lake Tahoe in exchange for mountains of laundry is enough to make you want to go on strike. In Tahoe.

Long live the three day weekend and give thanks for vacation days.

I plan to try and extend this summer as long as possible. Oh, to be in school again. Whatever happened to a real summer? Sprinklers, pools and 90 days of uninterrupted bliss...

But this weekend was pretty blissful itself. We celebrated Ilsa's 30 Birthday in a rustic cabin on the Nevada side of Tahoe, complete with a nearly private beach, beautiful deck to take in the sun and an extremely well-stocked refrigerator. We cooked up a storm (the famous nutella cake even made an appearance) of wood-fire grilled shrimp with coconut curry sauce, haloumi with melon and avocado in a mint-lime dressing, Mediterranean chopped salad, heirloom tomato and basil pasta, and, what is sure to become a staple in our group, the kaffir lime gin & tonics. There were no growling stomachs this weekend. We did our best to return home with an empty cooler. Success!

So those recipes and more, coming. For now it's back to laundry and a bowl of quick cold sesame noodles (courtesy of Mark Bittman himself) enjoy!

Cold Sesame Noodles
adapted from Mark Bittman

12 ounces linguine (I used whole wheat, but soba and plain would work well also)
1 cucumber (peeled and sliced into thin ribbons)
1/2 cup tahini (or peanut butter)
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp minced ginger
tabasco sauce to taste
salt & pepper to taste
sesame seeds for garnish (about 1 tbsp)

Cook the pasta. When cooked, drain and run under cold water until cool. Meanwhile, slice the cucumber in half and remove the seeds. Slice thinly in long strips.

Whisk together the tahini, sesame oil, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and tabasco. Add 1/4 cup hot water to the mixture and continue to stir until well blended. The mixture should look creamy. Toss with the cucumber and noodles. Add sesame seeds and serve.

Of Happy Endings and Mac n' Cheese - Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta

Certainty is a rarity for me these days. It has no place at work, in the lives of those nearest and dearest to me, and least of all, in the foreseeable future. Lately it seems, certainty can be found in two places: My tiny and totally inadequate kitchen, and in Jane Austen. Thank God for Jane Austen.

I arrived home after work a tired, weepy mess. The culmination of a very long and disappointing day that not even M. Ward on repeat could remedy. Nothing to be done but fire up the stove and cook up a very serious version of mac n' cheese. To be eaten while watching a completely satisfying version of "Persuasion" on Masterpiece Theater. Oh teary classic romance and carbs. It's a truly perfect combination. Mr. Wentworth and Mr. Darcy really are the most dashing fictional romantic characters ever to have graced the page, and this particular Wentworth lost nothing in the translation to screen. Totally knee-weakening. I highly suggest you watch it.

So while difficult thoughts of the future and uncertainty give way to the well-deserved happy endings of Jane Austen's characters, and to the last of a bowl of pasta, I leave you with a recipe that has been making the rounds of the food blogs lately. This version came once more from Smitten Kitchen. It's such a simple and easy dish to make, perfect for a weeknight dinner. Tonight, at least, can end happily here.


Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta
from Smitten Kitchen

1 lb pasta
1 lb asparagus
1 5-ounce log of goat cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp lemon zest
2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon, plus more for garnish
fresh lemon juice to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Bring salted water to boil. Add pasta. Add the asparagus in the last two minutes of cooking and drain, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Combine goat cheese, lemon zest and olive oil in a large bowl with a fork, breaking up the cheese as you go. Pour the hot pasta and asparagus over the cheese mixture adding some of the pasta water as you go. Toss until well combined, so that the pasta is coated in the cheese mixture. Add more of the pasta water if needed. Season with the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Squid Ink Pasta with Halibut and Shrimp

While I've gotten a whole lot of "Ew! What the heck is that!" from these pictures, and from the description of this dinner, I would like you to know that my choice in pasta elicited a high five from the pasta guy at Phoenix Pastaficio. "I love when people buy this stuff. Way to be adventurous." He said, and then promptly sent me down to the fresh fish stand for some halibut to go with.

Squid was long on the list of "things I will not eat," (which for now only consists of eel and other snake-like things) but it was removed after I fell in love with a grilled squid dish at Pizzaiolo several years ago. Nowadays, if squid is on the menu, I will probably order it, though I prefer it grilled and not fried.

Stumbling upon a pasta made with squid ink was an exciting concept. One that seemed destined for my staple seafood pasta dish, typically made during a vacation escape to the coast, but often requested and sometimes made in lieu of a great vacation. Ah! The transportive effects of good food. I'm feeling better already.


Seafood Pasta (with Squid Ink Pasta)
Serves 6

2 thick halibut fillets (about 1 inch thick)
12 ounces shrimp
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup parmesean
1/2 cup white wine
3 tbsp parsley, chopped
12 ounces pasta
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter on the stove over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and garlic, saute till translucent and fragrant. De glaze the pan with the white wine. Add the halibut fillets, cook about 3 minutes on one side and add the shrimp when you turn the halibut to the other side. Add the lemon juice and cook about a minute all together over medium. Turn the heat down to low.

Add your pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente.

When the pasta is ready, drain and reserve 1/4 of the pasta water to add to the fish. Toss the pasta and the reserved liquid together with the fish, shrimp and onions, making sure to coat the pasta. Add the cheese and pasta. Toss with salt and pepper. Serve while hot.

Pack-Rat Mentality - Spaghetti with Rustic Tomato Sauce and Basil

Several times in the past few weeks I have been admonished for my overly-sentimental pack rat mentality. At issue was the coffee pot I inherited when my parents moved out of the house I grew up in. 20+ years to it's credit, and still, it lives! Often, acting as my alarm clock for those early mornings after particularly late evening adventures. Also accused was the Georgetown sweatshirt, stolen from an unsuspecting siblings closet, circa 1988 (and she never noticed!) The one that is especially comfortable on camping trips.

Beth had a particularly keen eye during her visit, wandering through my apartment and pointing out what had been transplanted from our house in college. Lauren added to the embarrassment by highlighting the items she recognized from 23 years of friendship. I say, to me, that coffee pot is better than all the other coffee pots in the world. Not as fancy, but certainly trusty and dependable. It reminds me of what the fox says to The Little Prince before he asks to be tamed.

I cannot bear to throw things out. In the ability to edit down my life, I fall distinctly short.

But is that really such a great fault? In the end, my coffee pot produces a perfectly robust cup of coffee in the morning. That sweatshirt is particularly soft (and can double as a pillow when camping to boot) and the dog-eared, aging yellow pages of cookbooks, post-it notes and old envelopes that hold recipes I've collected for years on end are finally finding their ways into the digital age via this blog.

So it's a good thing I saved them all.

I can't remember where this one came from. I found it on the back of the envelope from an old phone bill from 2002. It fell out of an old copy of East of Eden. Scrawled out hurriedly in my handwriting and used as a bookmark, no doubt. A classic quick tomato sauce. Perfect for a Monday night. Throw it out? No! I'd much rather share.



Spaghetti with Rustic Tomato Sauce and Basil
serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 sweet yellow onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red wine
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
freshly ground black pepper (about 5 turns of the pepper mill)
1 zucchini, cut into half moons
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
8 ounces spaghetti
4 tbsp roasted pine nuts
1 tbsp pecorino romano cheese

Heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the shallots, onion and garlic. Saute for about two minutes. Add the red wine and stir. Next, add the tomatoes, oregano and black pepper and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the zucchinni towards the last two minutes of simmering. Remove from heat and add the basil, stir to combine.

Cook the pasta according to directions. Drain and top with the sauce, nuts and cheese. Serve immediately.

Back to the Real World...nuts. - Fresh Pasta with Favas, Tomatoes and Sausage

Two things of note:

1. I survived the trip (obviously). Anti-anxiety Drugs? Yes. Worth it? You bet.

2. I am a wedding crier.

I can't believe that last one. I'm supposed to be the sarcastic, slightly cynical and extremely practical friend. I am not supposed to be the one crying at the wedding. I cried exactly three separate times at this wedding, once when Beth asked for me to come back to be with her before the main event, it was the first time I'd seen her in her dress since she first tried it on and she looked absolutely beautiful. So of course, I adjusted her veil, smoothed her dress, hugged her and cried. I cried again during the ceremony and then AGAIN when they had their first dance. Luckily one of the groom's firefighter friends thought that was pretty cute and made me his dance partner for the rest of the night. Ah, Portland's finest! Oh, and I also cried when the bride and groom left for Mexico, but again, she left me with the easy on the eyes firefighter and a beach bonfire, so I really can't complain.

To be honest, I think I like weddings quite a bit. I like the smaller traditions of it all, even if it's not a traditional wedding. Not the "I do" stuff in a church or with a minister, but the certain smaller moments, like seeing your friend in the few moments before the ceremony starts and she says I do, standing in her dress in anticipation, happy and glowing. Watching the new couple have their first dance, whispering to each other and enjoying themselves. The popping of champagne corks before the first toasts, the cheers during the first kiss, and, of course, the cake. Because who doesn't love to eat cake?

And so, Beth is married! It was lovely, and I'm back! But to be honest, not at all ready to be. But! One other item of note! I've torn through my Mother's back collection of bon appetit magazines and now have a ton of recipes in store.

While I haven't recovered from wedding mode, I was extremely impressive today and against all odds, made it to the farmer's market this afternoon after my flight. I had my eye on this recipe the whole weekend and wasn't able to get to it, so I decided to get to work first thing. It was fantastic, easy (aside from the fava beans) and so perfect with fresh ingredients.

More on the wedding and the trip later, for now, this:

Fresh Pasta with Favas, Tomatoes and Sausage
adapted from bon appetit magazine

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1/8 tsp dried crushed red pepper
1/2 lb Italian sausages, casings removed
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/4 cup chopped plum tomatoes
1 cup shelled fava beans (from about 1 lb), blanched 3 minutes then peeled
3/4 lb fresh pasta (I used Meyer Lemon fettuccine from Phoenix Pastaficio)
2 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tbsp chopped mint

Heat the olive in a large saucepan over medium. Add the olive oil, onion and garlic. Saute for roughly 6 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the sausages, breaking them apart with a fork. Saute for about 3 minutes until the sausage is browned. Add the wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan. Next, add the tomatoes and favas and saute for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes are softened. Season with salt and pepper.

After you've added the tomatoes and favas to the pan, start a large salted pot of boiling water for the pasta. Cook until al dente texture. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta liquid. Add the drained pasta to the saucepan with the tomato mixture and toss gently over medium heat to combine so that the sauce coats the pasta. If the mixture seems dry, add some of the reserved pasta liquid. Mix in the 2 tbsp of the Romano cheese and the mint. Serve and enjoy!

Fresh Favas - Pasta with Fava Beans, Roasted Tomatoes and Green Garlic

I love shelling beans. I realize that might sound simplistic and perhaps a bit boring to some, but I find it to be one of those truly perfect tasks. One is perfectly welcome to zone out and go a bit zen on a task like this, and still achieve tangible results in the end. Drinking a glass of wine or a bottle of hoppy beer whilst listening to the new Neko Case album doesn't hurt matters either. Windows open, sun shining and beans a'shuckin. I deem it a perfect recipe for a lovely weekend afternoon. Add some friends into the mix and you're really onto something.

I picked up these fava beans at the farmer's market. Fava beans are twice as exciting as normal beans, because they require twice the shucking! Once from the pod, and another from the casement that surrounds the bean itself. The first shuck job is fairly self-explanatory. The second takes about 3 minutes of blanching on the stove, and then a shock of cold water to stop them from cooking. Then peel and eat. I usually do so with my favorite fresh pasta from the Phoenix Pastaficio booth. The one made from porcini mushrooms that requires 3 minutes of cook time and is far superior to all other pastas. I threw that together with some oven roasted tomatoes, asparagus, fresh arugula and sauteed green garlic and then doused the whole mess with lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Finished it off with a dusting of fresh Parmesan, and it tasted just like spring.

Farmer's Market Pasta with Fava Beans, Roasted Tomatoes and Green Garlic
Can easily be made vegan by ommiting Parmesean. Porcini Pasta is a vegan pasta.

1 lb fava beans

1 bunch asparagus

1/2 lb arugula

1/2 lb cherry tomatoes

2 bulbs green garlic

1 lb porcini pasta

1/2 lemon

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese

The secret to this dish is is to oven roast the tomatoes and asparagus. Preheat oven to 350, halve the tomatoes and put into a bowl with a few glugs of olive oil and salt to taste. Coat the tomatoes in the oil and salt, then roast for half an hour. When the tomatoes are done, turn the oven to 400. Coat the asparagus in a small amount of olive oil and salt, roast for 20 minutes. Boil a pot of water and cook the pasta. Meanwhile, saute the green garlic in a bit of olive oil until slightly tender and translucent. Add the favas and saute for about two minutes over medium heat. Add green garlic, favas, tomatoes and asparagus to a bowl with the arugula. When the pasta is done, strain and then add to the vegetables. The heat from the pasta will wilt the arugula slightly. Add the lemon and a few good glugs of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and finally the Parmesan. Eat while still warm.