I spend a lot of time thinking about pasta. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night trying to remember whether tagliarini are wide or skinny noodles. I really want one of these pasta drying racks, and as I’m fond of reminding people starting every year on August 29, my birthday is coming up.
When it comes to saucing pasta, my natural inclinations run to tomatoes, cheese, and pork. I have no desire to abandon any of these three pillars, but it would be nice to broaden my horizons, and I know just how to do it.
First, as usual, I’ll be coming home from the farmers market with an absurd amount of produce. It’s still early for Northwest bounty. Last Sunday we went to the kickoff of this year’s Broadway market, and Alvarez Farm–who by summer’s end will have approximately 147 varieties of produce–had exactly two items, asparagus and spring onions.
Soon, though, you won’t be able to see Iris because we will have piled the stroller high with corn, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, beets, radicchio, tomatillos, and cantaloupe. People will say, “Hey, that Arcimboldo painting is talking!”
So, seasonal bounty: check.
Next, I have the essential how-to guide for combining pasta and vegetables: Janet Fletcher’s Pasta Harvest. This book, which you can (as of this writing) buy for 26 cents on Amazon, is literally an encyclopedia on the topic. Consider:
* Spaghetti with chard ribs and pancetta
* Linguine with braised fennel, walnuts, saffron, and cream
* Fettuccine with mushrooms and fried sage
* Penne with leeks and tomatoes
That’s just from opening the book randomly. Remember that if you order the book through the link above, Roots and Grubs will make a commission of as much as two cents.
I wonder if there will be chard this weekend. Iris loves bok choy stems, so I bet she’ll go for chard stems. Hey, look–talking chard!
What’s creepy is that right under this post, in Bloglines, I see Sautéed Swiss Chard Ribs with Cream and Pasta from Simply Recipes.
yaay…my favorite thing in the world is to take $20 to the farmers’ market, and then revel in my kitchen looking like a sam shepard play.
that’s been my most favorite thing about moving to southern california from the midwest…farmers’ market, EVERY SUNDAY!!! even in january!
and once we saw xander berkeley there! what’s up, hollywood animal? :)
Heather, you have managed fly both over and under my cultural radar in a single comment, since I’ve never seen a Sam Shepard play and I had to look up who Xander Berkeley is.
Liza, in spring, every young person’s desires turn to chard stems.
Even though I could not get that pasta drying rack link to work, I’m wondering why you don’t just use the backs of your kitchen chairs, like everyone else?
Whoops, stupid expiring links. Try now.
I do use the chair backs, but they’re rounded, so they don’t hold very much, and once you see the drying rack, you will see why I want it. It looks like a robot!
Update: It looks like three of you bought the book. I made four cents! Thanks.