What do I do with this Box Week 5

A large bag of red skinned potatoes

Swiss chard

A large bag of onions

Green beans !

A large bunch of Arugula

Donut Peaches!

The summer treats are starting.  Getting green beans this early is yet another Great Country Farms surprise.  Farmer Mark has several plantings, so we’re going to be in beans for a while.  Beans are one of the items that are sometimes available as you pick at the farm.  Picking beans in large numbers is back breaking work.  When we joined the CSA many years ago, I wanted my kids to develop an appreciation for where there food comes from, and the physical nature of harvesting food.  Picking beans is perfect for that.

Last week I wrote about peaches.  There are over 2000 peach varieties that are either white, yellow, freestone or clingstone.  They vary in size, sweetness and ripening timing.  Of all the varieties, donut peaches are my family's favorite.  Donut peaches look like a normal peach that has been squished in the middle.  The result looks like a donut!  These peaches are exceptionally sweet, have a very small, freestone pit, and get eaten like popcorn in my house.  I have to hide one or two in the fridge to make them last more than a day or two.  We typically see them for a week or two in boxes and then they’re gone for the year.

But this week is all about Arugula.  Until this year, I had no idea what Arugula looked like on the plant.  It’s easy to buy a bag or box of arugula at the local grocery store.  I like arugula for its bitter peppery taste, and love the intense flavor it adds to salads and sandwiches.  But Arugula doesn’t grow in a bag or a box.  It is a tall plant when fully mature, with long tough stems and pods that will flower if left to their own devices.  It looks like something I would pull out of my garden as a weed (if I didn’t know better)

As a green, arugula adds to almost any salad.  It accents green leafy vegetables and goes really well with a wide variety of vinaigrettes.  I’ve had arugula on top of pizzas, added as a base to a variety of appetizers and other finger foods, and as a way to make subs and sandwiches more flavorful.  Arugula is also delicious cooked.  Like spinach and kale, Arugula has enough flavor to hold up in a variety of dishes.  One of my favorite ways to enjoy cooked Arugula is with pasta.

Pasta is one of the most versatile foods we eat.  Americans eat over 15 pounds of pasta per person per year.  Compare that to Italians, who eat over 50 pounds per year.  Most Americans purchase dried pasta, spaghetti being the most popular form.  Pasta is also available fresh, and can be easily made at home.  Fresh, home made pasta is a real treat, and is not particularly difficult.

Sauces come in almost as many varieties as the imagination can create.  Typically, American's top pasta with a tomato based red sauce.  It’s a little early for tomatoes, and I’ve used all of the sauce that I made last summer and froze.  So, I’m going to create a sauce using fresh Arugula, basil, fresh tomatoes and Parmesan cheese.  It is light, perfect for the summer, and simply delicious.

Week 5 Pasta with Arugula and Tomato

1 1b pasta

2 quarts water

2 T kosher salt

1 T Olive oil

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped (if you have scapes left, this is a great way to use them!)

½ medium onion sliced thin

3 cups (or more!) fresh Arugula

2 cups tomatoes (cherry tomatoes, whole.  All others cut into large chunks)

1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

2 T chopped fresh basil

fresh pepper to taste

1 cup or more of the water you cooked the pasta in

Bring the water to a hard boil.  Add the salt.  Your pasta water should taste like ocean water.  Add more salt if needed.  This is an important step, the salt in the water adds flavor to the pasta, and ultimately, to your sauce.

Cook the pasta until it is just done.  Pasta should retain some firmness without being crunchy.  Look at the package for timing.  Thicker dried pasta can take 10 minutes or more, thinner fresh pasta can cook in 2-3 minutes.  Be sure not to overcook your pasta.  It will get mushy and gross if you do.  Don’t dump the water.  You need it for your sauce.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil, add the onion, cook until just soft.  Add the garlic being careful not to burn the garlic. Cook the onion and garlic mix for a couple of minutes, then add the tomatoes.  Let the tomatoes release their liquid, then add the basil and Arugula.  Cook this sauce until the Arugula wilts.  The Arugula will cook down considerably. Slowly add the pasta water to create a sauce.  Add ¾ of the grated parmesan cheese and stir to incorporate the cheese into the sauce.  Add the pepper and taste.  Adjust seasoning, add more cheese if needed.

Serve immediately.  Top with the rest of the grated parmesan cheese.