PASTA with Chard and Chickpeas

     I made a salad last night that didn't really pair well with the Cornmeal Sloppy Joe Pizza.  What I wanted was a tabouli style chickpea salad, but tomatoes aren't in season, neither are cucumbers and so the salad just kinda sucked.  But tonight, it transformed into a very tasty pasta dish once I sauteed it with lots of garlic and fresh Pasture Hill Farm chard.  We didn't quite have enough of one style of pasta, so I mixed penne, elbows and fusilli.

PASTA with Chard and Chickpeas

1 pound organic kamut pasta

1 bunch organic fresh chard, chopped in large chunks

5 cloves organic garlic, smashed and minced

2 cups organic chickpeas, cooked

3 Tbsp capers

2 Tbsp organic butter

1/4 cup e.v olive oil

fresh romano cheese, grated

sea salt and pepper

Method:  Bring a large pot of water to boil, and cook pasta to al dente.  While you wait, heat a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter and half of the olive oil in the pan.  Saute the chard, garlic and chickpeas and some sea salt until the chard wilts, about 4 minutes.  Reduce heat to low, add the capers, cover and keep warm until the pasta is done cooking.  Drain the pasta, stir into the chard, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and serve with lots of fresh cheese.

BROILED HALIBUT in a Lemon Caper Sauce over a bed of Angel Hair Pasta

We don't often eat my absolute favorite lily white angel hair pasta anymore.  But every now and then I figure a little bit won't hurt.  Pete's Frootique sells an organic cappellini, so now that I've used up my last pack of it I will be sure to stock up again.  

     This recipe is so simple but so delicious you'll want to eat the whole pot.  This has been a favorite pasta of mine forever.  Be sure to keep the hunk of romano cheese close by because if you're like me, you'll be grating some more every few bites.  

     The lemony sauce from the fish kind of drips down over the pasta which was really nice.

CAPPELINI with Olive Oil, Garlic and Chilis

1 pound organic angel hair pasta

5 cloves organic garlic, smashed and minced

1/2 cup e.v olive oil

2 tsp organic chili flakes

sea salt and pepper

fresh romano cheese

Method:  Bring a huge pot of water to boil, add some salt and boil pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, heat half of the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat and add the garlic and chillis.  When garlic starts to sizzle, remove from heat and toss onto the cooked pasta.  Add the rest of the olive oil and serve with lots of freshly grated romano.

BROILED HALIBUT in a Lemon Caper Sauce

1 package PC Wild Halibut

1 Tbsp fresh organic lemon juice

1/2 tsp Tom's Spice (available from my shop Earth's Oven)

1 tsp organic lemon zest

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 Tbsp e.v olive oil

2 Tbsp fresh basil or 2 tsp dried

1 Tbsp capers, drained

Method:  Heat the oven to 375*.  Season the halibut with Tom's Spice and place in a lightly oiled cast iron skillet.  Broil for about 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.

     While the fish is cooking, combine the lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic and zest in a small bowl.  Beat in the olive oil, basil and capers.  Spoon the vinaigrette over the cooked fish.

The salad we ate with the pasta and fish: Mache with Shaved Carrots and Beets

RICE PUDDING

I like to make rice pudding when I have milk in the fridge that needs to be used up.  Every time I eat this I am transported back to my childhood where sometimes I would eat two bowls in a row.

1 cup organic white or brown rice

1 quart organic whole milk

2 cups water

1/2 cup local honey or maple syrup

2 handfuls organic raisins

pinch of sea salt

organic cinnamon for top

Method:  Give rice a rinse and then combine it in a saucepan with the milk, water, honey, rice and salt.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes or until the rice has cooked and the mixture has thickened.  Stir in raisins and cook a few minutes. Remove from heat and pour into pudding bowls.  Sprinkle with cinnamon, cover and refrigerate.

Barter Pasta

Lately Friedl from Selwood Green has been visiting my table at the Farmer's Market to barter. He is a pleasure to see at the end of the market day because he always comes bearing lovely fresh sprouts, and this week, some of Norbert's homemade kamut pasta.  We had some leftover smoked salmon from Sunday's brunch which I thought would go perfectly in a pasta.  I also unearthed some spinach from the deep freeze that I prepared from the garden harvest in the summer. This pasta was truly delicious.

KAMUT PASTA with Cauliflower,  Smoked Salmon and Spinach

1 lb Norbert's fresh organic kamut pasta

2 Tbsp organic butter

1 large organic onion, chopped

4 cloves organic garlic, minced

1/2 cup organic vodka

2 tsp organic lemon zest

1 tsp sea salt

black organic pepper

1 1/2 cups organic cream

125 g organic smoked salmon, sliced thinly

2 Tbsp capers

3 cups organic spinach, chopped

1/2 head organic cauliflower

fresh romano cheese, grated

1 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped

Method:  Bring a large pot of water to boil.  When it comes to a boil, add the cauliflower and boil for 3 minutes.  Then add the pasta and cook for about 3 minutes.  As you do this, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Saute onion until softened, then add the garlic and stir.  Add the vodka, zest, salt and pepper and simmer for 2 minutes.  Add the cream and simmer until it thickens a bit.  Stir in the spinach and cook until spinach wilts and the sauce evaporates a bit.  Stir in the smoked salmon, capers.  Season to taste.  Drain the pasta and stir into the sauce.  Serve, with the grated cheese and chopped dill.