It has been nearly a month since my last post. I can't believe it. I think the heat and activity of summer makes it a bit more difficult for me to sit and focus on writing in the evenings. I'm missing it, though. This won't be a long one tonight, but I did want to share our evening meal, as it was one of those simple, throw-together ones that make me happy, most of all because it came together without a trip to the store or a long, drawn-out preparation.
The most current issue of Saveur magazine has a great article on pestos this month, called "Why We Love Pesto." It's subhead on the cover grabbed me this evening as I was watching the boys and trying to think of what to make for dinner as time crept closer: "The ideal summer sauce for tossing with pasta..." As I browsed the article and perused the recipes, it struck me that I could certainly scrounge up enough veggies and greens to put together a concoction that might resemble aspects from a few of these recipes all in one dish. So here's how it came together.
First I made up a simple pesto in the food processor and put this aside:
- 2 cups total of basil and arugula from both my deck pots and the left-over farmers market bounty (you don't need to have only basil; some pestos don't have any basil)
- a few garlic scapes
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup cashew nuts
- a little fresh grated parmesan cheese
- a squeeze of lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
Then, after putting water on to boil for pasta, I looked around in my pantry and fridge for some vegetables to saute and toss with the pesto and pasta: 2 medium potatoes, a bunch of baby broccoli, a handful of cherry tomatoes (green beans would have been nice, but I didn't have them). I cut the potatoes into eighths and then put the garlic in some olive oil to simmer on the stove. Once golden, I added the potatoes with a little salt and pepper and let them saute until somewhat soft (about 10 minutes on medium heat). I then added in the broccoli and cherry tomatoes. After about five minutes or so, I added in to the blended pesto and turned to low and covered for another five-to-ten minutes until the potatoes were soft*. During this time, I added the pasta (about 8-10 ounces) to the boiling water to cook. After the pasta was done, I reserved a little water before draining, added it into the saute pan and mixed well with the pesto and veggies. If it is a bit dry still, add some reserve water, since you probably have already used enough olive oil in both the pesto and the veggies.
*Note: it is definitely not necessary to cook the pesto for any length of time. I just did it for a bit to let the potatoes soak in some of the flavor while they were still cooking.
You may need a bit of salt and pepper at the end. Also, I did grate a little more parmesan cheese on top. We grilled a few goat chops that we had in the freezer from our "meat lady," with just a little salt and pepper for a few minutes and had these on the side. Everyone ate everything from their bowls. We even had a surprise visit at the beginning of the meal from our neighbor girl upstairs who is twelve, and she sat down with us to eat. We have been told numerous times by her mom that she is a picky eater, but she proceeded to eagerly eat the pasta as well as the goat chop and asked me to write down the "recipe" for her mom. Score. And I guess this is why we love pesto. It is easy, it is tasty, it is substantial, it is diverse, it is seasonal. A vegetarian dish (minus the goat chops, of course) that gives us a lot of complex flavor and a nice kick of protein with the nuts.
Lately I've been noticing a lot of posts on Facebook about what people are creating with their CSA boxes and farmers market finds. I love the idea that food, especially all this great seasonal food, gives us the great gift of encouragement. Encouragement to try new things and stretch our own boundaries and creative muscles. Tomorrow morning is another trip to the farmers market. Oh how I look forward to trying something new.