Summer is officially here, and eventully you'll be able to see it in the recipes I post; but for now I find myself a little back-logged with a few amazing meals from the past month or so. That includes the pasta and carrots that are the star of today's post; I'm sneaking it in as a last farewell to Spring. Thanks to my weekly farm box, our fridge is always well-stocked with assorted veggies, but lately I'm having a hard time finding the motivation to go to the store for meat alone. On these veggie-heavy but meat-free nights I've found myself relying more and more on poached eggs - atop either a salad or pasta - to make it a real meal. This particular night the farm had provided me with some last-of-the-season kale, spring onions, green garlic, asparagus, and some gorgeous and deliciously sweet young carrots.
Did you know that so-called "baby" carrots sold in stores are actually just regular carrots that have been peeled, shaved into "baby" carrot shapes and then - usually - dipped in a chlorine solution to prevent them from turning white? Carrots naturally turn white after being peeled, and producers avoid this by using a chlorine solution; they claim it's safe, but personally I think it's simpler and safer to just eat REGULAR CARROTS, especially since most of the nutrients lie near the skin layer. Fake baby carrots began as a way to use carrots that were "too twisted and ugly" to sell in stores; this in itself is just crazy to me. What kind of society have we become where we won't accept a perfectly delicious but uniquely-shaped carrot? It's craziness, but it doesn't surprise me. Most people have distanced themselves so entirely from food production that they probably think of carrots as being generated in a factory, like jelly beans and potato chips. Thus we have sterilized cookie-cutter "baby carrots" that always look and taste the same; devoid of character, only blandly sweet, and likely bathed in chlorine. There. I've had my say; now back to the recipe!
so called "baby" carrots
These carrots were heavenly, before and after cooking, and quite a few fell victim to our bellies while still in the raw. I already had linguine, pine nuts, red wine and eggs on hand, so some sort of comforting, broken-down pesto pasta seemed likely; and braising as a means of cooking the carrots and kale seemed totally appropriate. The poached egg and broiled asparagus kept the dish feeling Spring-ish; all in all, this was one of my favorite pasta dishes I've ever made.
Braised Kale:
1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves chopped into thin 1/2 inch strips
2 large bulbs green garlic or 2-3 cloves regular garlic, finely chopped
2-3 TB's olive oil
3-4 TB's red wine
1/4 wedge of fresh lemon juice
Heat oil over medium heat; add garlic, cook 1 minute, add kale. Add red wine and lemon, season with salt and pepper, turn heat down to medium low and cook for 10-15 min, until softened and red wine cooked away.
Caramelized Onions:
6-8 spring onions (bulb only) or 1 red, yellow or white onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 TB's olive oil
2 TB's butter
Heat oil on medium-low, add butter. Once melted, add onions, continue to cook, stirring every few minutes, for 45 min to an hour. If onions start browning quickly, turn heat down. You can add more butter or oil at any point if too dry, to avoid burning. Onions should be soft, cooked down, and only slightly caramel-colored at the end.
Poached Eggs:
Fill a large pan with about 2-3 inches of water, bring to boil. Place individual eggs in individual small bowls or dishes. When everything else is ready, turn off the heat, slide the eggs gently into the hot - but no longer boiling - water, and let sit/poach for 3 min. Remove eggs with slotted spoon, place on top of pasta.
Faux-Pesto Pasta:
1/2 to 3/4 package of linguine, cooked according to package in salted water right before serving; do not overcook! Pasta should still have a slight bite to it (al-dente).
braised kale: see recipe above
caramelized onions: see recipe above
1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted in frying pan over medium heat (watch them closely or they'll burn!)
2 TB chopped fresh parsley
poached eggs (one for everyone!); see recipe above
freshly grated parmesan
Combine pasta, kale, caramelized onions, pine nuts, grated parmesan and parsley. Add a little olive oil if too dry, season with salt and pepper if necessary.
Braised Carrots:
1 bunch (10-12) young/small carrots (not "baby" carrots), peeled; if your carrots are longer than 6 in, cut in half
2 TB butter
2 TB olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 TB chopped fresh thyme
Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat; add butter. Once butter is melted, add carrots, cook for 10 min, stirring occasionally. Turn head to medium-low, add red wine and more butter or oil if necessary; season with salt and pepper, add thyme. Cook for another 20-30 min, or until carrots are glazed and slightly softened; carrots should be easily bitten through without being mushy. You want them to still have some pep! Serve with pasta.
For the asparagus, follow this recipe. Serve on the side.
**Happy Cooking**
