Kitchen oh Kitchen. If there were a real "myspace" in "myworld", it would be "mykitchen".
Happy place. The Zen art of chopping, slicing, mixing, tasting, tasting (and more tasting if it it something like cream cheese icing).
Why is it that no matter what hurricane of life swirls around me I am able to be transported to a quiet gleeful meditation when I am lost in a recipe?
Maybe because it is a trip for all of the senses. Testing the springiness of dough with my finger tips, smelling the bubbling soup as all the aromatics mix, scanning the colors of vegetables that spill onto the counter, the sizzling sound of scallions. And of course, taste.
Taste is a tricky thing I find. Being someone that usually operates with the "more is better" and "even more is even more better" I am trying to tweak my food from the usual wham! bam! that is cumin man! type of dish. Finding wine parings that bring out the most subtle whims of a dish or flickering flavors in the wine.
John and I enjoyed a meal at his friend Mark's restaurant where at one point we turned to each other and realized that the food was so sensual, subtle, and savory it was almost erotic. Monk fish erotic?
Strange but true. When you want to roll every bite around in your mouth in an attempt to try and prolong the experience it is difficult to tell your brain that it is food that is making you feel this way. Love should be savored. Good food should be savored.
And so. A departure from uber-healthy cooking has been fun....cream and sugar have replaced powered soy milk and evaporated cane juice. And with that, a gusto and newly recharged view of my kitchen and the things that come out of it.
Some of that laughter and stress relief that comes with the smell of fresh cinnamon buns and sharing them with friends must cancel out at least a little of that cholesterol. It must.
And so. A quick recipe. A franken-recipe, good for fridge cleaning out in the summer.
Super Green Pretty Pasta
3 scallions diced fine
4 cloves of garlic, minced
tsp red pepper flakes (or 1/4 tsp cayenne)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 2 inch pieces
1 handful beet greens coarsely chopped and de-ribbed
1 handful kale coarsely chopped
1 handful spinach coarsely chopped
2 tbsp capers with bit of juice
1/2 cup black olive slices (or green olives--but black is better)
1 tbsp Braggs (or tamari to taste)
1/2 cup soy milk (or cow milk, cream, whatever you have in your fridge that is milky)
fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup basil, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese (no green container allowed)
4 servings of cooked pasta--your choice
Saute garlic on low heat in olive oil until aroma is released. Add scallions and cook until transparent. Toss in capers, milk, braggs, let simmer for a few minutes until milk reduces somewhat. Add asparagus until just starting to tenderize. Throw in cooked pasta, toss until coated (if not enough sauce add a bit more milk). Once it is covered in sauce toss in greens until just wilted.
Sprinkle with basil and parmesan. Add grind of pepper. YUM!
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