For the End of Summer

Hand Cut Pasta with Basil Pesto, Green Beans and Potatoes
As the curtains close on this summer's stage, I thought it would be appropriate to share my adaption of a classic Italian summer dish.


Green beans and potatoes may seem like an odd addition to pesto and pasta, however they are commonly found in this classic dish that originated in Genova, Italy. The first time I ate this dish was in one of the beautiful towns of La Cinque Terra, on the Linguaria coast of Italy. I was fifteen, at the time, and food was low on my lists of interest. So the fact that over 10 years later I can distinctly remember devouring this pasta, washing it down with an ice cold sprite, while sitting over the cliffs of the Mediterranean sea on a warm summer day, is a testament to how truly wonderful this dish really is. At an age where little impressed me, the rich flavors of this dish certainly left an impression on me.
In the recipe that follows, I cut fresh lasagna sheets by hand, yet any long fresh noodle will be wonderful too. And of course, store-bought linguine or spaghetti will work perfectly too. Just make sure to adjust your cooking time –fresh pasta takes a few minutes unlike dried pasta.
The key for this dish, as usual, is using the best quality ingredients. That means – fresh, fragrant basil; cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, and real Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Using anything less in this classic pesto is really just a waste of your time. I also like to use the small haricots verts, green beans, but if you can’t find them (as I couldn’t this time), any type of green bean will do. Creamy white or Yukon potatoes are best. In traditional Pesto Genovese the green beans and potatoes are cut up fairly small and play a lesser role against the pasta and pesto, however in this rendition of the dish, I wanted to serve the vegetable course and pasta all in one, so I went heavy on the green beans and potatoes. You can adjust the amount of vegetables to your own taste.




Hand Cut Pasta with Basil Pesto, Green Beans and Potatoes

Serves 6

1 large bunch fresh basil leaves (about 3 cups)
1/3 cup raw pine nuts, plus more for garnish
1 large clove of garlic, peeled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
3/4 cup of freshly graded Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1 pound fresh pasta sheets, cut into strips or fresh pasta noodles
2 cups fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2 pieces
3-4 small white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/3 inch cubes


To make the pesto, place the clean basil leaves (stems removed), pine nuts, garlic, salt and pepper in a large food processor. Blend until chopped. With the machine running, pour the olive oil into the small hole on the top of the food processor in a slow and steady stream. When the mixture is smooth and creamy add Parmesan cheese. Pulse until just combined. This mixture should be me made no more than one hour ahead of time or the basil will oxidize and turn black.
Fill both a medium and large pot with water. Bring both to a boil and add a teaspoon of salt to each.
Place the peeled potatoes in the medium pot of water and cook for about 5 minutes; then add the green beans. Cook for another 5 minutes or until both the potatoes and green beans are tender. Test with a fork. Drain the water from the potatoes and green beans, season with a bit of salt and pepper and set aside.
Meanwhile, add the fresh pasta to the large pot of boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes, or until al dente, but cooked through. Place the noodles and 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water in a large serving bowl or platter. Pour the pesto over the noodles and toss together. If the pesto is still clumpy add another 1/2 cup or so of the pasta water. Gently toss in the warm potatoes and green beans. Serve in individual bowls and garnish with more Parmesan cheese, a drizzle of olive oil and a few pine nuts, if desired.

Farmer's Market Dinner

A typical dinner on my table- a simple pasta dish and a few fresh vegetables.

Tossed Green Salad
Grilled Eggplant
Farmer's Market Green Beans
Lemon Ricotta Fusilli




Grilled Eggplant
There are many varieties of this late summer vegetable. Depending on the type of eggplant and its freshness, it sometimes needs to be "degorged," meaning salted and rinsed with water to remove the bitterness. I have found that Japanese eggplants (which tend to be smaller and more narrow) are usually less bitter and more tender than the larger Italian eggplants. I have also found that the older the eggplant is, the more bitter it is. Fresh eggplants are firm to the touch and if cooked within a day or two should not need to be salted and rinsed. When I do feel the need, or have the extra time, I slice the eggplant, line on a baking sheet, salt generously and let sit for about 1 hour. I use a paper towel to absorb the water that is extracted from the eggplant. Here, I did not salt the eggplant prior to grilling and could not taste any bitterness in the dish. So the debate - to salt or not to salt? I leave it up to you.


Serves 4

Ingredients
- 1 large Italian Eggplant or 2 medium Japanese Eggplants
- 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

Slice the eggplant lengthwise 1/4 inch thick and brush with the olive oil. Season the eggplant with half of the salt and pepper.
Meanwhile oil a grill pan and preheat over medium heat for 2 minutes. Place the eggplant slices on the hot grill pan and cook the eggplant 4-5 minutes on each side, or until the eggplant begins turn translucent in color and there are dark brown grill marks. Work in batches if necessary. Transfer the hot eggplant to a large plate or platter and immediately season with the remaining salt and pepper. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and the chopped parsley over the eggplant. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Farmer's Market Green Beans
The beautiful purple green beans actually turned green when cooked.




Cooking Green Beans

I don’t always care to blanch (cook in boiling water and immediately cool in ice water) my vegetables for two reasons. One- because it means I have one more bowl to clean, and two- because I don’t always like super crisp vegetables. I often prefer to cook my vegetables in boiling water until tender, then drain the water and let the vegetables steam in the hot pan until the rest of my dinner is ready to serve. There are certainly more exotic things to do with green beans, or any vegetable for that matter, but when I buy fresh produce from the farmer’s market, like these green beans, I actually want to taste the green beans and prefer a touch of good olive oil, salt and pepper. There is no recipe but merely my method.

Fill a medium size pan with water and bring to a boil. Add 1/2 tablespoon of salt to the water. Once the water has come to a boil add the green beans and cook until tender, about 7-8 minutes, or cook longer if you prefer more cooked green beans. Test the green beans with a fork and either use the lid to drain the water from the green beans or drain the green beans in a colander and return the green beans back into the hot pan. Season the green beans with salt and fresh ground pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Lemon zest is also a nice subtle addition as well. Serve warm.


Lemon Ricotta Fusilli
This pasta is so good and creamy, yet also has a refreshing lemony scent. I make this simple dish often, because with only a few ingredients I can make the sauce in the time it takes to cook the pasta.


Serves 6

Ingredients
- 1 pound Fusilli (corkscrew) pasta
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta, at room temperature
- zest and juice of one lemon (preferably organic)
- 1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon of fresh grated nutmeg

It is best if the ricotta is not ice cold out of the refrigerator, however the ricotta cannot be heated much or it will become very runny. It is best if the ricotta is at room temperature, or you can put the ricotta in a microwave proof bowl and heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fusilli pasta to the boiling water and cook until a dente; meaning that the pasta has a ‘bite’ to it without being chalky in the middle, about 10 minutes.
In a large serving bowl mix together the ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water for the sauce. When the pasta is al dente, drain the pasta noodles and immediately add to the ricotta mixture along with the 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water. Toss all the ingredients together and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm.