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05/10/2018 12:01 AMI woke up early one day recently, and the sun was shining. With one cat purring at me in bed, while the other sat on my nightstand meowing (they don’t like each other), I thought about dinner. I wanted pasta and vegetables, in particular, pasta primavera. Truth be told, however, it was a long winter and there are, as of now, few seasonal or local veggies available.
I put a kettle on for tea and started looking through some recipes in a file I keep. These recipes are ones I have collected, thinking I might make them now, or years from now. I saw one that called for penne with asparagus, pistachios, and mint. I had everything but the asparagus and fresh mint. That sounded just terrific.
After I read my newspapers, reading The Day front to back and The New York Times article about Michelle Wolf’s routine at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, I checked in with my friends on Facebook. My editor, Pem McNerney, noted that she had been persuaded to become vegetarian for the month of May. It must be kismet or karma that I had decided to make this vegetarian pasta. She might like it. I also remembered that, at the first food talk at the Groton Public Library food series on May 10, Pauline Lord, owner of White Gate Farm, and her farm manager, Kent Girty, will be talk about White Gate Farm glorious and delicious vegetables. For more information about the series, call 860-441-6750.
Here is the full schedule for the talks at the library:
Growing Food
Thursday, May 10, 7 p.m.
Discover where your food comes from with Pauline Lord and Kent Girty of White Gate Farm in East Lyme. Lord, the owner, began growing organic produce on the farm with her husband in 2000. Kent Girty has been the farm manager for two years and shares his extensive nutritional and culinary knowledge with visitors to the farm stand.
Teaching About Cooking
Thursday, May 17, 7 p.m.
Learn the finer points of crafting quality meals with Mark Scarbrough and Bruce Weinstein. They are business and life partners who have written upwards of 30 cookbooks. Their latest, The Kitchen Shortcut Bible, will be released in June 2018. In addition to authoring cookbooks, Scarbrough teaches literature classes and Weinstein teaches knitting.
Cooking in a Restaurant
Thursday, May 24, 7 p.m.
Chris Prosperi, chef and co-owner of Métro Bis, will share his experiences of running his Simsbury restaurant. He also writes a weekly column with Old Saybrook’s Linda Guica for The Hartford Courant, makes regular appearances on NBC 30 and is a senior contributor on WNPR’s The Faith Middleton Food Schmooze®.
Writing About Food
Thursday, May 31, 7 p.m.
Join us for a panel discussion composed of local food writers and moderated by Lee White, including:
• Linda Guica, columnist and former food editor of The Hartford Courant
• Priscilla Martel, chef, columnist and cookbook author and editor
• Pem McNerney, editor of the Living section at Shore Publishing, in Madison
Penne with Asparagus, Pistachios, Peas and Mint
Adapted from Cooking Light, May 2015
Yield: serves 4
8 ounces uncooked whole-grain penne pasta
(regular pasta is fine, too)
5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1 and
one-half inch pieces
8 ounces of frozen peas, slightly thawed
3 green onions, chopped, white and green parts, divided
2 large garlic cloves, minced
¼ to 1 half cup dry white wine
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoon butter
1.5 ounces Romano or Parmesan cheese, grated
(about ½ cup)
¼ cup chopped pistachios
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving one-quarter cup cooking liquid. Return pasta and reserved liquid to pan. Cover and keep warm over low heat.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add asparagus and peas; saute 3 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Stir in white parts of green onion and garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add wine; cook about three minutes. Add asparagus mixture, peas, salt and pepper to pasta mixture. Stir in remaining 2 teaspoons oil, remaining green onions, butter and cheese. Heat slightly. Divide pasta evenly among 4 bowls. Sprinkle evenly with pistachios and mint.