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When the Cupboard is Bare
Yesterday, my sister accused me of being a slacker. It’s true that I have been cooking less than usual over the two weeks or so. It’s also true that I really haven’t had much time to write about what I have cooked. So, Jane, this post is for you.
Last week, we were getting ready for a weekend in New Jersey to celebrate Howard’s parents’ 205th (their 75th birthdays and 55th wedding anniversary). The evenings last week involved some unexpected shopping and hemming (of pants). This week, we’ve been getting ready for a visit from my dad and stepmother this weekend. The evenings this week have involved lots of overdue housecleaning.
With all this activity, the cupboard has been pretty much bare. After a weekend of eating way too much, we really needed a home-cooked meal. I managed to pull this spicy pasta together from the pantry, loosely inspired by a recipe for Pasta Arrabbiata from a Rachael Ray cookbook (Just in Time). I didn’t have the exact ingredients, but the end result wasn’t bad.
As a bonus, I went out to the garden to pluck some basil and noticed that the spring lettuce bed, which never got replanted over the summer, was filled with gorgeous arugula. Apparently, the arugula that bolted in early summer self sowed. We’ll have some great salads before frost.
Mother Hubbard’s Pasta Arrabbiata
Serves 4 – 6
1 lb Mostaccioli or other tubular pasta
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
½ cup red onion, diced small
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 28-oz can Muir Glen crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
½ cup grated Parmesan
2 cups arugula, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining the pasta.
In a deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and onions. Cook about 5 minutes, until onions start to soften. Stir in the vinegar. Add the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
Drain the pasta. Top with reserved pasta water, tomato sauce, and Parmesan cheese. Toss well. Add chopped arugula and toss until it wilts.
Pot Luck to Go
This is my final blog for the Loving Local Blogathon. If you didn’t read any of my posts earlier this week, the Loving Local blogathon coincides with Massachusetts Farmers Market week, which ends tomorrow, Saturday August 28. The blogathon, spearheaded by In Our Grandmothers’ Kitchens, is to promote awareness and enthusiasm for locally produced food and to raise money for Mass Farmers’ Markets.
The sun finally came out and I still have quite a bit of the vegetables from my trip to the Lexington Farmers’ Market on Tuesday. Tonight, I was going to a end-of-summer get-together with my colleagues from work. The hostess is a fabulous cook, usually making Indian dishes.
I didn’t want to arrive emptyhanded, so I decided to bring a dish. It had to be something I could prepare before I left for work, but also something that would taste fresh at the end of the day. After browsing lots of cookbooks, I put together pieces of a few different recipes to come up with a pasta salad with fresh summer vegetables with an lime-peanut dressing to give it an Asian-inspired flair. All the vegetables were either from Tuesday’s market or from a local farmstand. I also added a handful of basil from my own backyard garden.
I thought it worked out well. I tossed the cooked pasta with some oil so it wouldn’t clump together during the day. I cooked and chopped the vegetables and stored them in a separate container. I put the chopped peanuts in another container and the dressing in a jar. All of this fit into a large canvas bag that I could stash in the office refrigerator for the day, then carry to the party and toss together there.
I used the vegetables I had on hand: string beans, corn on the cob, peppers, scallions, and cucumbers. You should definitely take a cue from what is fresh right now.
Asian-Inspired Pasta Salad with Summer Vegetables
Serves 8-10 as a side dish (make half for less people)
1 lb rotini pasta
1 Tbsp oil
1 cucumber, seeded and diced (peeled or unpeeled as you prefer)
2 ears corn (cook, then remove the kernels)
1/4 lb string beans (green, purple, wax, or any combination), cut into 1-inch pieces, cooked
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 scallions, sliced thin
1/3 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Dressing:
- 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 1½ Tbsp peanut butter
- 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1½ Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1½ Tbsp soy sauce
- 1½ tsp brown sugar
- ¾ cup canola oil
- Salt to taste
Combine all the dressing ingredients in the blender and process until smooth.
Boil a large pot of water, and cook the pasta until al dente (about 10 minutes). Drain and toss with 1 Tbsp oil.
Toss the pasta with the chopped vegetables. Pour the dressing over the pasta and toss well.
Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.
A Plateful of Happiness 