Saturday, March 20, 2010

CELEBRATE SPRING (VERNAL EQUINOX) ~ PENNE PRIMAVERA


For lo, the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing has come
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
Arise my love, my fair one,
and come away.

~ The Song of Solomon, 2:11-13


VERNAL EQUINOX
(Hubbard Lake, MI)




PENNE PRIMAVERA
~ 'Primavera' means 'Spring' in Italian
_________

1 lb. penne pasta or bow-tie (farfalle)
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large sweet (Vidalia) onion
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 lb. diagonally cut asparagus spears (woody stems snapped off)
1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms
3 diagonally sliced carrots
1 matchstick sliced yellow pepper
1 matchstick sliced orange pepper
1 hefty cup frozen peas
1 pint grape tomatoes
10 oz. fresh stemmed baby spinach
1 bunch chopped fresh basil
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
additional fresh basil for garnish

  • Heat wok or deep skillet. Add butter, olive oil,onion, garlic and pepper flakes. Sauté until onion is limp. Add asparagus, mushrooms, carrots, and peppers and stir-fry until almost tender. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
  • Add peas and tomatoes. Cook until peas are thawed and tomatoes heated through. Add spinach and fresh basil. Toss until spinach is slightly wilted.
  • Serve over pasta cooked al dente. Top with slivers of chopped fresh basil and plenty of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Note: For a perfect meal, serve with a loaf of crusty Peasant bread and good bottle of Italian wine.






"We need spring. We need it desperately and, usually, we need it before God is willing to give it to us."

~ Peter Gzowski
(Spring Tonic)

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Joey, What a splendid receipt for a spring supper dish. Now, I know exactly where I am going to start on this...at the end. I have a very good bottle of Italian wine to hand. I doubt that I shall get much further....!

I am so sorry that you did not receive my email of the Lemon Drizzle cake. I will think on how I might send it again.

lindalou said...

I really appreciate that quote about Spring. There's rumors of possible snow tomorrow. Unbelievable. Hopefully, tomorrow will be winter's last hurrah.

imac said...

Wonderful, shots,words,recipe, only its raining here.lol.
Great post.

joey said...

Thank you, dear Edith. It is indeed a perfect spring supper, especially with wine :) Welcome Spring!

Hush Lindalou ... it's not going to snow, is it? Enough is enough. But lovely April showers will be welcome for the garden.

Thanks iMac ... rain is good (if not too much). After a teasing week in the 60s, today is hovering in the 30s with hints of snow in the forcast. Oh well. spring IS here!

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Your pictures of the lake are heavenly, especially today because it is snowing! I went out and bought lots of spring flowers.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photos, Joey. Happy Spring from sunny and warm (for a change!) Nova Scotia.

Kala said...

Lovely shots of the setting sun over the lake.

Rob (ourfrenchgarden) said...

"We need spring. We need it desperately and, usually, we need it before God is willing to give it to us."

TRUE!


Beautiful photo of the sunset Joey.

You know, asparagus season isn't a million miles away.

Gail said...

Doesn't the Peter Gzowski quote speak volumes! I love this pasta recipe and want it for dinner tonight...Happiest of first days of spring! gail

joey said...

Thanks Eileen. We are blessed to have this view directly in from of our cottage.

Nancy, you must be enjoying yesterday's lovely weather that, being so kind, sent your way. Today, in the 30s, I'll hold back and enjoy myself (not). Happy Spring Gardening :)

Thank you, Kayla. Happy spring shooting ... we have lots of new life to focus on!

Totally agree, Rob, and thanks! Teased with stunning spring weather last week, we are now back to normal. But at least spring arrived on schedule, it always does. We are celebrating the 'Vernal Equinox' here at home and not at the lake where these were taken (and where we had hoped to be this weekend) and not with the menu posted (that's for tomorrow). But fresh asparagus (not from my garden but the market) is on the menu with fresh herb fillet topped with gorgonzola, Caesar Salad, and ... 1983 bottle of Opus One! From across the sea, cheers to a wonderful spring garden!

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

What beautiful sunsets!! The recipe sounds delicious.
Happy Spring!

BernieH said...

Beautiful photos ... I spent quite a bit of time gazing at them ... I'm such a sucker for a gorgeous sunset shot!

JP said...

Enjoyed the pictures...Good one, Thank you.

Rick said...

Stunning sunset shots Joey! Yes, the calendar says it's spring, and I want to believe it, but the weather doesn't look at the calendar unfortunately.

F Cameron said...

Amazing photos (as always)!

Anonymous said...

Hi Joey! Marvellous sunset shots over the lake. And the recipe sounds delicious!

Happy Spring!

joey said...

Happy Spring, Catherine, and thank you.

Welcome, Bernie, and thank you. I'm a sucker for sunsets too ... these are even better in real life!

Thank you, Jarlin Paul.

Thanks, Rick. I hear you ... it's overcast and in the 30s here ... not too springy :(

Happy Spring, Cameron. Thank you!

Hi, dear Kanak, and thank you. Delighted to see again :)

joey said...

Happy Spring thoughts are with you, dear Gail. We'll have lots of new subjects to shoot :)

Rose said...

As always, Joey, you seem to find the perfect quotes for the occasion. I thought the Song of Solomon excerpt was beautiful, but the Gzowski quote fits my mood perfectly:) I've been enjoying a week of spring--nearly summer at my daughter's in AZ this past week, so I can't complain. Looking forward, though, to the "real" spring in my garden.

I've been looking for a good Pasta Primavera recipe for awhile; this one sounds like the best!

Victoria said...

Gorgeous Joey...beautiful images! Happy Spring Equinox and Wishing you many blessings throughout the season!! Have a happy day!
Kiki~

joey said...

Rose, enjoy AZ ... you are not missing much weather wise! By the time you return, things will be better. Thanks for the kind comment. I must tell you how much I'm enjoying THE HELP, can't put it down!

Thank you for the beautiful thought, dear Kiki. Spring blessings!

Kathy said...

I love your concept of combining beautiful nature photography with mouth-watering recipes. What great companions!

Thanks for stopping by.

joey said...

Welcome, Kathy, and thank you ... 2 of my favorite things!

Roses and Lilacs said...

Your photos are breath taking. You have such a lovely view.

I completely agree with Peter Gzowski. I need spring...sooner that later!
Marnie

joey said...

You are a dear, Marnie, and thank you. Spring, the tease, is here, dear friend!

Anonymous said...

I just love your Hubbard Lake sunsets. Someday I'll have to go visit it myself!

joey said...

Thank you and please do, dear Robin ... I hear the lake calling!

Johnny Nutcase said...

those sunset pictures are gorgeous, what a great landscape!

joey said...

Thank you, Johnny. Am anxious to be heading back to the lake today ;)

Mireille said...

Your springtime is marvellous, Joey!
Thanks