Summer Pasta Part I

During last week's heat wave, when it reached 103° in NYC—a record for that day —I couldn't bare the thought of spending too much time in the kitchen to cook dinner. So I relied on one of our favorite warm-weather meals: spaghetti with arugula, cherry tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil. This dish tastes like summer. The beauty of this recipe is that you most likely have all or most of the ingredients in your cupboard or refrigerator. Garlic is a staple in our kitchen as is olive oil. We're growing tomatoes in our garden in Copake but it's too early to pick any just yet, so I grabbed some cherry tomatoes from the market. Arugula on the other hand was one of the first vegetables to grow in our new garden this summer. Carl takes the credit here. He grew the plant from seeds and took pains to keep the patch weed and critter free.


I cut the tomatoes in half and washed the arugula. Next, I sauteed chopped garlic in the olive oil for 30 seconds or less. Don't let the garlic start to brown. It will taste too bitter. Add the cherry tomatoes and saute until they start to caramelize and create a thickened sauce. While you're doing this have a pot of water on to boil. I prefer traditional spaghetti # 8 for this but you can use linguine or any long pasta of your liking. Once the pasta is al dente, drain and pour the hot spaghetti on top of a heallthy serving of arugula placed in your serving bowl. The heat from the pasta will wilt the greens. Pour that delicious red "sauce" of tangy tomatoes over it. Voila! A taste of summer at your ready in less than 20 minutes. Fresh ground pepper and little Percorino Romano on top finishes it off. Take your bowl as quickly as you can into the air-conditioned living room and slowly enjoy your dinner in front of the AC and the latest episode of Glee stored on your DVR. Dishes can wait until tomorrow when the weather cools. Hopefully.

Pasta Primavera

Getting Vivi to eat veggies is an ongoing battle. Her repertoire is limited to the usual suspects of carrots, broccoli, and corn. We went through an avocado stage and a short-lived edemame stage. But they are now on the "I-don't-like-that-anymore" list. So we stick to what we know works. And what really works is mixing them with pasta.

And what's better than pasta primavera as a way to get your 5-year old to eat some veggies. The beauty of this dish is that it's the perfect way to use what you have on hand. No need to rush to the supermarket for specific veggies. Just empty the crisper. And in ours was carrots, mushrooms, broccolini, and Brussels sprouts. The mushrooms are sauteed with butter and garlic. White wine and cream get added and simmered while the veggies are blanched with the pasta in stages. Drain the pasta-veggie combo and cover it with the mushroom sauce. Sprinkle with grated cheese and watch your kid devour it. And Vivi didn't even realize she was eating Brussels sprouts!

Here's the recipe to use as a jumping off point. Just substitute the veggies with what's in your fridge.

2 tablespoons butter
1 (8-ounce) package fresh mushrooms, trimmed and sliced (we used button mushrooms, but shiitakes would be nice too)
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup whipping cream
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
about 1 ½ cups broccolini, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
about 1 cup Brussels sprouts, quartered
2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
1/2 pound of pasta (we used radiatori, cuz they're cute)

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper; sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Add wine, and reduce liquid by half, cooking about 8 minutes. Add cream and, if desired, nutmeg; simmer 2 minutes. Remove sauce from heat, and stir in cheese. Set aside.
2. Cook pasta in boiling, salted water for about 4 or 5 minutes, or until al dente. Add broccolini and carrots, and cook 1 minute. Add Brussels sprouts, and cook 1 minute or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Drain, reserving ¼ cup water.
3. Return pasta to pot and gently toss with sauce, adding reserved water as needed for moisture. Sprinkle with more grated cheese and, for the brave, some shredded fresh basil (green flecks would never fly in my house!)