Pasta with Pesto (and Shrimp!)

This summer I've become mildly obsessed with making pesto. Okay maybe more like fanatical...Not only have we been getting basil from our Great Kids share but I planted a ton of the green stuff in our garden as well. Did you know that you should pick basil in the morning when the essential oils are at their strongest? Pick the top leaf set after the dew has dried, but before the sun has cooked away their potent oil. Pinch just above the next set of leaf buds to keep your plant producing. When a basil plant has flowered the basil will turn and leave a bad taste in your mouth. Store in wet paper towels in a closed container in the fridge to keep the basil from turning black.

Basil is a symbol of hospitality in India and love in Italy. I would have to agree, the smell of fresh basil is comforting and somewhat hypnotic. I have fallen under its spell...and my freezer if proof of our love.

Pasta with Pesto (and Shrimp!)*

serves 4

Prepare your fresh or frozen shrimp and set aside, about 6 per person. Bring water to boil, enough for one box of fusilli pasta.

In a blender or food processor add:

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cups washed and dried basil leaves (remove stems!)

1-2 cloves of fresh garlic

1/2 toasted cashews, pine nuts or walnuts

1/3 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Blend all the ingredients together. Taste, add salt and pepper to your liking and check your consistency which should be similar to Greek yogurt. The mixture should have enough oil to keep your pesto moist as well as for your pasta. Adjust your seasonings and oil accordingly and let it sit for the duration of time it takes to cook your pasta and shrimp. Add your pasta to your now boiling water. Saute your shrimp in a separate pan until pink and slightly browned. I like to use ghee to give it that nice golden brown color, and it smells amazing, if you'd like add some fresh parsley if you have some around at the very end of your shrimp saute.

Drain your pasta add it back to the pot with about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, toss. Taste test your pesto again...adjust seasonings...blend again...add about half to your pasta, use a little heat to help distribute the pesto around. Once mixed add to plates along with the shrimp. A little extra Parmesan on the side, a nice bottle of wine...and eat it! You'll fall in love too...

*I recommend listening to Finger Lickin' Good by the Beastie Boys while preparing this dish!

Freezing your Pesto...

You can freeze pesto in ice cube trays or small plastic/glass containers. I line the ice cube trays with plastic wrap first so I can easily pop out a cube of frozen pesto when the craving strikes. Simply lay a piece of plastic wrap on top of your tray and plop in the pesto. Lay another piece of plastic wrap on top along with wax paper, rubber band and freeze. If using a plastic or glass container fill with pesto and a layer of plastic wrap on top, date and freeze. Now you have pesto for January!

Beet Nest Salad

Sunday August 1st 2010: Today I harvested my first beets in the warm afternoon sun from my very own garden 20 paces from my kitchen door...Heaven! Shane and I decided to eat them right away maximizing their nutrition and gaining a billion local food points with this collaboration between the two of us. This late afternoon meal powered us through our house organizational tasks and into the evening.

Beet Nest Salad with Goat Cheese and Toasted Cashews
Serves 2

4 Beets of considerable size with leaves
1 Clove garlic, minced (CSA: Great Kids)
1 Small diced onion (CSA: Great Kids)
Pinch of sea salt (the sea)
1/4 teaspoon honey (local MD honey)
1 teaspoon unrefined coconut oil (not very local)
1/4 cup raw cashews-crushed into pieces and toasted (also not very local)
4 tablespoons goat cheese (from Pennsylvania)

Trim the leaves from the beet stalks, wash well, spin dry and chop into 1" ribbons then into bite sized pieces and set aside. Mince the garlic, chop the onion, set aside.

Wash and peel 4 Beets
Grate or using a mandolin finely shred or julienne into fine matchstick's. Set aside.

*Toast your cashews in a large skillet on medium-high heat until golden brown. Dust with a little salt towards the end to bring out their sweetness. Remove from pan, set aside.

In the same skillet heat your unrefined coconut oil on medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute until fragrant (your kitchen will smell unbelievable!)
Add the beet greens and saute until wilted about 5 minute's (the greens will reduce considerably). Turn off your heat and add your honey, hon.

Transfer the saute to plates and pile on the shredded beets, goat cheese and a sprinkling of cashews. I served ours with cucumber, cherry tomatoes and a baby carrot (from my garden). If your feeling like you need more oil (vatas and pittas!) drizzle a bit of flax oil on the shredded beets.

*If you are new to pan toasting nuts and seeds here are few guidelines:
Don't abandon your skillet! Use Medium heat...
When you can smell them, give them a toss or stir...you can gauge your heat level at this point by color...your aiming for a golden brown. If they are black turn down your heat or toss sooner.
Every nut is different!

Photography By my favorite beet Shane Carpenter

Week 1: Great Kids Farm CSA

Yesterday was the first week of 24 of our CSA share from Great Kids Farm. Great Kids Farm is the brain child of Toni Geraci, Food Service Director for Baltimore City Public Schools, the basic idea is to teach city school children about growing vegetables and sustainability while acquiring healthy eating practices...more info on the endeavor here from the Washington Post.

For those of you who are asking what a CSA is(Community Supported Agriculture) the U.S. Department of Agriculture breaks it down very well here.

If you are interested in joining a CSA you can find one by looking here on the Local Harvest website. I highly recommend it. You can join up with friends and split the cost. There is something so pure and simple about preparing and eating food that was grown so close to your home by a farmer and volunteers who care about good food for you and the environment.

Thank you to Farmer Greg Strella, the farm manager at Great Kids Farm and numerous volunteers for making our first share such an amazing gift. Here is what we received and what I made for dinner last night with some of the share items.

Week 1...Great Kids share

6 fresh eggs
strawberries
Herbs: Oregano, Lemon Verbena, Parsley
kale
Scallions
Green Garlic
French radishes
bag of mixed salad greens

Dinner...
Spiced Brown Butter Fried Rice with Eggs

To Make: Spiced Brown Butter
(makes a lot, keep what you don't use in the fridge for more cooking!)

1 stick organic salted butter
2 tablespoons organic olive oil
6 shallots chopped really well (from the Waverly Farmers Market)
Spice Mixture: Bring and mix together in a small bowl
1/2 teaspoon each of the following:
ground ginger
paprika
coriander
cinnamon
scant 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon + sea salt
fresh ground black pepper

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet. Saute the shallots gently for 10 minutes or until the butter starts to brown. Stir in the spices and remove from heat. Transfer into a glass jar to use throughout the week.

Preparation for...
Spiced Brown Butter Fried Rice with Eggs
serves 2, total prep time 20-30 minutes

2 tablespoons of your Spiced Brown Butter
4 Green Garlic bulbs, sliced thin, greens too, remove the roots (csa)
Wash and slice to 1/4 inch: 4-6 leaves of kale (csa) and other green like baby broccoli or asparagus roughly 5-6 stalks
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
2 eggs (csa)
1 tablespoon or so fresh parsley roughly chopped (csa)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the brown butter and saute the green garlic for 2-4 minutes on med-lo heat. Add the kale and other green to the pan and saute for another 5 minutes, be careful not to over cook your greens.
Meanwhile make your egg cake: whisk together the eggs, pinch of salt, black pepper and parsley. Heat some of your brown butter in a small skillet, until hot, add your eggs. turn down to med-lo and cook. DO NOT scramble, your making an egg pancake. Rotate the pan around to cook the runny egg on top, once the egg-cake "slips" from the bottom of the pan gently flip it. Cook briefly, remove from heat and set aside.

Back to your greens- add your rice and saute until the moisture is removed from the pan and you have that fried rice look. Remove from heat and slide the egg-cake on top. Serve it up!