Third Friday

Today was the third Friday Lunch. Ella and Eli wanted to make pasta. I am thrilled with the greens, particularly the collards, that are rampant in Meadowlark Gardens. This place is like a fairy land to walk--this time of year I learn the location of each patch of produce. I found the fledgling artichokes today. They were so good last year...

I also found the strawberry patch. Robert gave me two quart boxes (instead of one) in case I got up to the patch and "went crazy". Robert knows me. He also knows the power of a fresh, juicy berry. I like them better than chocolate. So I drove home with two quarts of berries caressing my nose. Why do people wear perfume? It cancels out all the truly sacred smells of life like pine needles on a warm day or strawberries riding shotgun in a warm car. Back to the collards.

Jenny grows collards called "glazed" that are so beautiful. We blanched the leaves and stuffed them with a mixture of raw Amish sage pork sausage (you could use any kind of ground meat--I'm particular to lean ground turkey), caramelized shallots and cooked quinoa. We layered the rolls into a roasting pan and poured a quart of chicken broth over them. They went into a pre-heated 400F oven which I lowered to 350F for an hour to hour and a half. Very good served with salsa or thinned hommous.

We made pasta dough then a pesto.

Garlic Scape Basil Pesto
Enough for 1 1/2 to 2 pounds pasta

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups trimmed and sliced (1-inch long) garlic scapes
1 to 1 1/2 cups packed basil leaves
2 cups walnuts
6 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
Optional shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and over medium heat, cook the scapes until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a food processor, purée the basil leaves and walnuts, while drizzling in the olive oil. Add the garlic scapes to the basil-walnuts and purée till smooth-ish. Taste and season with salt and pepper. If the pesto is too thick, add a little water and purée.

Cook pasta and toss immediately with pesto. If the pesto is still too thick, thin with hot pasta cooking water and toss pesto with pasta. Taste and season with optional cheese and more salt and pepper as necessary.

Today wanted to rain. We need some rain. Overcast and mid-70's today. Really pleasant.

Here are some photos of Ella rolling the collard rolls and the kids rolling pasta, the garlic scapes cooking, my strawberries and garlic scapes in the field.