CSA

Welcome Persephone Farm CSA Subscribers & Pasta eaters alike!

Here you will find weekly menu ideas, Recipes (my own and links to trusted favorites) as well as cooking instructions. However, the full cooking instructions and times are located under the tab “Cooking the Pasta.”

I am excited to get rolling. Just a few quick notes:

BIG NEWS! We are now living on our farm! Wintercreek Farm, in Poulsbo WA, is run by my sister in law, Robin Bodony. She is growing a wide and beautiful variety of vegetables and flowers (follow her on Instagram @winter.creek.farm.) She and I are raising three types of hens; Black Giants, Buff Orpingtons and Aurucanas. The hens will start laying in a couple of weeks, and i’ll be able to boast making all of the pasta with their eggs. We are feeding them organic Scratch & Peck brand feed and other chemical free vegetables and scrap.

If you are ever interested in getting a double or even triple share of pasta (maybe you have out-of-town guests) you can e-mail me at larondinellapasta@gmail.com the SUNDAY prior for a larger order!

INSTAGRAMMERS!: Please tag @LaRondinellaPasta in your pasta-full dinner creations.

Week Eighteen: October 31st ~ Gluten free Fazzoletti Or Lorighittas

Lorighittas are a Sardinian specialty. The meaning is “little ears” in dialect, like “orecchiette.” They are traditionally made for All Saints day. I made mine with semolina, 00 flour, saffron and water.

The classic pairing with this pasta is a tomato based ragu cooked with cockerel. I think any tomato-ey sauce will be delicious.

Here is a link to an incredible video of women from Sardinia preparing the Lorighitttas: https://youtu.be/7QAkHQ22hkE

 

Week Seventeen: October 25th ~ Potato Gnocchi

Week Sixteen: October Eighteenth ~ Ricotta & Buttercup Squash Cavatelli

These little beauties are of my own creation, I made them similarly to a classic ricotta cavatelli, but added roasted and puréed squash. They are tender and flavorful. They should be cook for 3.5-4 minutes in well salted boiling water. I would finish them with brown butter, crispy sage and parmigiano reggiano, or a basic cream sauce.

Week Fifteen: October Eleventh ~ Spaghetti alla Chitarra *** Hand cut egg yolk Tagliatelle or Fettuccine

You will find that the Spaghetti alla Chitarra is a different kind of fresh pasta. It is made with semolina flour as well as 00 pasta flour and whole eggs. It gets it’s name from the tool, instrument used to cut it, which of course looks like a guitar, it is steel strings over a box, that I push the pasta sheets through using a rolling pin.

These noodles are supremely satisfying when cooked ‘al dente.’ Cook the pasta for three minutes in salted water and finish in sauce. Marinara, carbonara, ragu!

 

Week fourteen: October Fourth ~ Gluten Free Embossed Pappardelle or Gnocchi alla Romana with Marinara

The embossed pasta will lend it self nicely to just about anything, think cream sauces, end of the season pesto, even a ragu made with meat or mushrooms.

Madiera cream sauce for two

Saute about two tablespoons diced shallot in butter until soft and translucent

add pinch of salt and pepper

saute in a couple of cups of clean and sliced mushrooms, cooking time will depend of variety

add a couple ounces of Madeira, Marsala, sherry or your favorite cooking wine and cook on medium heat until flavorful but no longer “winey”

add about a cup of heavy cream, and a pinch of picked thyme and reduce slightly.

when your pappardelle is tender, about 2 minutes in salted water, pull out with a strainer, and finish in your cream sauce

top with parmigiano and fresh parsley

People always think of potato gnocchi as the one true type of Gnocchi, however the word Gnocchi just means dumplings. Gnocchi alla Romana is actually the first and most classic Gnocchi. They are also delicious just browned in butter and served simply with parmigiano and fried sage.

For the Roman Gnocchi!

Pre-heat your oven to 400-450

Heat skillet, preferable cast iron, add butter or olive oil and brown Gnocchi on both sides

spoon marinara over the Gnocchi and top with fresh mozzarella (optional)

Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until cheese has melted

to serve top with  grated Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh basil

 

Week thirteen: Garganelli

Week twelve: Potato Gnocchi

Week eleven: Ricotta Gnudi

Week Ten: August 16th

Tagliatelle or Fettucine

Classic and versatile flat egg yolk noodles. This fresh Tagliatelle will cook in less than 2 minutes in your salted boiling water. Set a timer!

A subscriber from last year requested this fresh tomato sauce “recipe.” So simple and delicious, the tomatoes are like candy right now.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

On low heat, sautee 2 smashed cloves of garlic with 1diced  small sweet onion in half butter and half EVOO with a heavy pinch of salt. when the onions are soft and translucent add 2-4 diced tomatoes and a sprig of fresh basil. Cook on low heat for about 30-45 minutes, so fresh and delicious. Toss with cooked Tagliatelle, and top with Parmigianno Reggiano and fresh basil.

 

Week Nine: August 9th

Duck Egg Yolk Pappardelle

Usually I use hen eggs for my pasta, but every once and a while, duck eggs are available, and they are so rich and velvety, I can’t resist! Thanks to Dusk til Dawn Farm in Poulsbo.

‘Pappardelle’ comes from the word ‘Pappare’, to gobble up! It is a pasta that comes from Tuscany and is typically served with ragu. being a vegetarian, I will share a recipe for a walnut cream sauce that I started making last year, and LOVE. 

Pappardelle with walnut cream sauce, green and yellow string beans and parsley.

the sauce:

2 cups walnuts

1 cup cream or milk

couple sprigs thyme

2 cloves garlic

~toast half of the walnuts until fragrant and golden brown (350 for 5 minutes)

~simmer the other half in cream with a heave pinch of salt let reduce just a little maybe 20 minutes

~use a towel or stainer to shake/rub loose the walnut skin as they become bitter

~in food processor, crush thyme, 2 cloves garlic, pinch salt and toasted nuts until coarse but not paste remove from bowl and put aside

~processes cream and walnuts until smooth and then pour over your coarsely ground nut, garlic and thyme. season with salt and pepper (of course you could add a bit or parmigiano here as well!)

for the beans:

cut off the stem end of green beans and blanch in salted water for about 3 minutes, once out of water and cool, cut into desired length pieces and put aside.

for the pasta:

cook the pappardelle in salted water for about 1.5-2 minutes, then in a separate pan toss in about 3-4 oz of sauce, green beans and pasta together for about 30 seconds.

plate and top with fresh parsley (or peavines,) black pepper and parmigiano.

 

Week Eight: August 2nd

Potato Gnocchi

Week Seven: July 26th

Corzetti Stampati Verdi and Gluten Free Laminated herb Fazzoletti

Corzetti Stampati is a traditional pasta shape from Liguria. They call them coins. The classic pairing is Basil Pesto. Here is a simple recipe for a walnut basil pesto.

When combining pesto with pasta, Ligurians mix a small ladle of the cooking water into the pesto just before adding the noodles; this dilutes the concentrated sauce and helps it adhere to the pasta.

• 4 cups fresh basil leaves (from about 3 large bunches)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3/4 cut toasted walnuts
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp salt

Combine first 4 ingredients in blender/food processor or mortar and pestle. Blend until paste forms, stopping often to push down basil. Add salt; blend until smooth.

I omit cheese from the pesto because I think it keeps better without, but of course I top it with a healthy amount of parmigiano when I am ready to serve.

The Fazzoletti will also pair nicely with this pesto.

 

Week Six: July 19th ~No Pasta Share~

Week Five: July 12th

Cheese filled Agnolotti Del Plin

Week Four: July 5th

Capunti ~ Cavarola or Gluten-Free Farfalle

These little cuties were rolled on a Cavarola board, it gives the, lots of texture to hold onto any sauces, butter or oil based.

The gluten free Farfalle, could be in my top 10 favorite shapes, they are so elegant and delicious.

For both of these shapes I will recommend you be creative and make a simple pasta dish with your fresh vegetables and either olive oil or butter.  Let the pasta shine!

The Farfalle will be quick to become tender.

The Capunti will take a minimum of four minutes in boiling water, you will want to gently break up the pasta before it goes into the water.

Enjoy!

 

Week Three: June 28th

Mafaldine

When Mafaldine is extruded, it looks just like long thing strips of lasagne sheets. When hand cut, its like decorative pappardelle. Wide flat noodles such as these pair deliciously with rich ragu, sauces like bolognese, and even cream sauce. Being a vegetarian, I will share this recipe for Peppe’s Cauliflower Sauce.

Peppe was my Sicilian roomate in Rome. He was an artist, a musician, possibly an anarchist and definitely one of my favorite people ever. Peppe’s friends came over almost every day for lunch…. Loui Prima would sing ‘Just a Gigalo’ from the turn table, wine would be poured, and Peppe would make us pasta and serve it on paper plates.

To start you will need:

1 large head of cauliflower

a couple cloves of garlic or onion optional

Whole milk (I also like to use fresh whey)

pepper

grated cheese like parmigiano or pecorino

Start by cutting your cauliflower into small florets, the goal is to make it ultra soft, you can steam, roast or cook in a pan on low

dice your allium small and sautee in butter or olive oil with salt until translucent

once cauliflower is soft mash lightly in pan with a wooden spoon and add about 2 cups of milk, salt and allium. Turn heat to low and cook until the milk reduces to 2/3 of original volume and you can mash the cauliflower into the sauce.

To finish, add a healthy amount of freshy ground black pepper, salt to taste and about 3/4 cup of cheese.

Cook your pasta in salted boiling water for about 2.3-3.5 minutes until tender, scoop pasta out of water with a strainer into cauliflower sauce and add 1/3 cup of your starchy pasta water. Toss pasta until its coated and finished cooking.

serve with more cheese on top and fresh parsley to garnish!

 

Week Two: June 21st

Ricotta Cavatelli and Gluten~Free Garganelli

These are easily two of my favorite shapes. Of course I love spaghetti and linguine, who doesn’t love twirling long noodles around their forks, but, I love the short shapes (Pasta Corta) the most.

The Cavatelli are tender deeply satisfying! A classic pairing is Cavatelli di Ricotta con Broccoli! I think the Garganelli will be perfect with this as well.

ingredients: broccoli, garlic, pine nuts, olives and parmigiano reggiano

Prep:

cut broccoli into bit sized florets

grate cheese

quarter olives (castelvetrano, taggiasca, kalamata)

shave garlic thin with a mandolin or a sharp knife

heat a large skillet, add olive oil, toss in broccoli and cook on med-high heat until it’s browned slightly, add plenty of salt and oil. When broccoli is almost done, add garlic and pine nuts and chili flakes if you like, cook until golden.

The Cavatelli* will need between 3.5-4.5 minutes in the salted water, when tender toss them, along with a cup of starchy pasta water into pan with broccoli, at this point I like to add olives and about a 1/2 cup of parmigiano as well.

The dish is simple, salty and delicious, I actually have no idea what vegetables are coming in the Persephone box today, but at some point Rebecca’s purple sprouting broccoli will arrive, and that is PERFECT for this dish. You can substitute ANY leafy green in this dish!

*The Garganelli will cook much quicker, check after 1.5 minutes

Week One: June 14th

Tagliatelle or Fettuccine

I hope you enjoy this classic, simple and delicate shape. I love how versatile and elegant tagliatelle is.

Tagliatelle with peas, butter, parmigiano and pea vines 

Prep:

Dice a medium sized shallot

Fresh or browned butter are both great in this dish

Grate about a cup of parmigiano reggiano

Bring a medium or large pot of water to a boil, make sure to add plenty of salt to the water

Sauté shallots in butter with a pinch of salt until they become soft and translucent, add about a cup or so of peas, you can shell sweet shelling peas or buy frozen organic (actually quite flavorful!) and turn heat to low.

Pasta will cook quicker then you expect, I usually cook fresh pasta at a medium bowl and I always set a timer. Because you will finish the tagliatelle in your shallot butter sauce, you will only have it in the water for about a minute. Note: It will take longer the more pasta you are cooking.

Reserve a little starchy pasta water, it will help marry the pasta and create a bit of body in your sauce.

Once pasta is finished I like to use a strainer to get it out of the water, it’s faster that way.

Toss the pasta into the peas and butter on low heat, add just a tablespoon at a time, some of your reserved pasta water until its coating pasta completely and bottom of pan is not dry, and add a little parmigiano and freshly ground pepper.

To finish you will add the peavines let them wilt just a little and they will stay become tender without loosing their inherit fresh flavor.

Top this dish with the remaining parmigiano and a little lemon zest.