W1/Meal 1: Spinach & Garlic Scapes Pasta

Those garlic scapes were so crazy-looking that I felt compelled to tackle them first. The more of my fresh produce I can incorporate into one meal, the better, so I was happy to find this recipe:



Spinach & Garlic Scapes Pasta

Ingredients:
2 cups spinach, rinsed & dried
1/2 cup chopped garlic scape
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
Salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 lb pasta, of your choice

Directions:
1] Place spinach, garlic scapes and parmesan in a food processor and pulse until mixture is chunky.
2] With machine running, pour in olive oil.
3] Process until mixture is smooth.
4] Add butter& seasonings to taste.
5] Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed on package until al dente.
6] If the sauce is too thick, add a little pasta water and mix well.
7] Drain pasta, place in serving dishes and top with sauce.

Serves four.

***

I halved the recipe and used gluten-free rotini, omitted the butter, and added an extra handful or two of spinach. I also added cherry tomatoes to brighten the earthy flavor and some cannellini beans for sneaky protein. Then I topped it off with some grated pecorino romano, which I'm pretty sure I could eat a bowl of on the side.

Perfection.

The verdict: Incredibly easy with a delicate but satisfying flavor. The scapes provided enough garlicky bite without overwhelming the fresh, green taste of the spinach. This meal was gone in about three minutes. Success!

First share! June 14, 2010

Here are the items of my first share, in all their crispy green glory.

First, we have the lovely kale:

Garlic scapes:


Romaine so fresh it tasted unfamiliar:


Ravishing radishes:


Spinach:


... and a bonus herb, sage:


... there was a bunch of cilantro, too, but anyone who knows me understands I am NOT A FAN of that vile herb and I pawned it off on a coworker instead.

(As part of my duty as a self-appointed Cilantro Educator, I'd like to take a minute to pass on this interesting article that at the same time validates my opposition and suggests I learn to suck it up. Thanks to Adriana for sending it my way.)

An obligatory hello! and welcome!

I'm Lauren. Loving wife, daughter, sister and Facebook friend. I live in Brooklyn by way of Detroit. I'm a professional graphic designer, a newbie blogger and a retired poet. My skills include over-sharing and lying quietly in the sun for extended periods of time.

Like most living things with a will to survive, I like food. I like to read about it and talk about it, but I especially enjoy eating it. I'm good with my hands and at following directions, so it makes sense that I would be interested in cooking. I just haven't had a chance to do much of that yet.

I like to blame that on the fact that I've never not had a full-time job since I graduated. Lack of time has always trumped motivation. The college cooking method of Thaw and Reheat was replaced with the slightly more involved-- and satisfying-- Food Assembly Method, requiring a protein, some veggies and some sauce, tossed in a bowl over pasta or rice. Things got interesting when Trader Joe's came into the picture. My meals felt complete and moderately healthy.

But in recent years, I've started to appreciate food on a deeper level. Like many others, I'm increasingly aware of and concerned about the health risks of processed food and the questionable ethics of industrialized farming. But moreover, I find that as my tastes have developed, so has my desire to be closer to my food and be involved with my meals on a more intimate level-- knowing where each of my ingredients came from, how they taste, and what to do with them.

It's a craft and I like to be crafty.

So I've joined a fantastic CSA. I figure: what better way to learn to be a proficient cook then to let the ingredients themselves inspire me? Every two weeks I'll pick up my share of fresh (and sometimes exotic) produce and challenge myself to find and execute recipes that incorporate all of it. And in case anyone else finds this journey nearly as interesting as I do, I'm going to do my best to document my experiences.

Grab your tea towels, kids. Things are about to get messy.