Carrot Ribbon Fettuccine

We are lucky enough in Madison to have our own local pasta company, R.P.'s Pasta. You can purchase it from at many of the local grocery stores or even buy it from Peter Robertson himself (R.P.'s founder) at the farmers' market. Dried pasta is mostly a vehicle for other flavors, but fresh pasta should be treated with a lighter hand because it is a treat in itself. This recipe gives fresh pasta the respect it deserves, weaving it together with strands of sweet carrot and savory Parmesan cheese, all dressed gently by fresh lemon juice and olive oil. Thought my pasta was made in town and my carrots purchased from the farmers' market, the most local ingredient of all was the basil I plucked fresh from my backyard for garnish. Most of what I've planted this year has not come even close to the harvesting stage, but being able to walk out my kitchen door for ingredients is one of the small gestures that has made my house most feel like a home since I moved in just one year ago. This recipe almost didn't come to pass as I intended to make it on a day that turned out to be quite chaotic, but making and eating this dish turned out to be the perfect reward for a tough day, not a burden to prepare when I was exhausted. A plate of glorious simplicity, this meal can easily grace the table from a healthy Meatless Monday to an elegant weekend dinner party.

Carrot Ribbon Fettuccine
adapted from The Kitchn
serves 4

4-5 medium sized carrots
12 ounces fresh whole wheat fettuccine pasta (or 8 ounces dried)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon (with zest removed for garnish)
1/4 cup shredded parmesan (plus a little more for garnish)
Fresh basil (for garnish)
Coarse sea salt

1. Peel the carrot skin and discard. Then, working from top to bottom, peel thin ribbons from the carrots. Spin the carrot as you go to get similar width strips (the remaining cores can be used for a salad later).

2. Cook and drain the pasta.

3. In a large skillet, sautee´ the carrot ribbons with 2T olive oil and a pinch of salt until they become just slightly limp (about 3 minutes on medium heat). Turn the heat to low and add the cooked pasta to the skillet. Add the juice from 1 lemon, 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and 1/4c shaved parmesan. Toss to combine, then plate.

4. Garnish each plate of pasta with a pinch each of: lemon zest, coarse salt, basil and parmesan. Enjoy!

Citrus Green Beans

Sometimes the key to being a good cook is stepping away from all the fancy ingredients and elaborate techniques. It's easy to throw some bacon or a dash of truffle oil on almost anything, but when the ingredients are truly spectacular, it's really not necessary. Green beans have recently started to appear at the farmers' market and they are one of veggies I most look forward to coming in season. I can never make it through trimming all the beans without sneaking a few myself, a sure sign that there's not much needed to turn them into a truly spectacular dish. Crisp-tender green beans are dressed by a touch of toasty walnut oil, balanced by a bright pop of lemon. I happen to be an avid collector of oils and vinegars, but if you don't have walnut oil, olive, almond, toasted sesame, or even just canola or safflower oil will leave you with a fantastic dish. Be sure to toss the green beans with the dressing while the beans are still warm so the flavors soak in, but this side can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature, or even cold. A perfect companion to nearly any protein, this simple summer side can happily find a place at your summer dinner party, cookout, or average evening at home.

Citrus Green Beans
from Whole Foods
serves 8 to 10

2 pounds green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons walnut oil
3 tablespoons canola or safflower oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook green beans until just tender, 5 to 8 minutes. While they are cooking, whisk together both oils, lemon juice and zest. Drain beans and toss with dressing while still hot. Season with salt and pepper.

Icebox Strawberry Jam

Although strawberry season is drawing to a close for most of Wisconsin, a bumper crop of strawberries is just starting to appear from Door County at the farmer's market. Door County is consistently a few weeks behind in their growing season compared to most of the state, extending the bounty of summer fruit, much to my delight. I've been scarfing down strawberries by the quart for the past month or so, but have neglected to turn them into jam until now. I don't have a pressure canner, so I make icebox jams/preserves instead. It's true that they don't last as long as pressure-canned preserves, but fresh fruit jam is so delicious that we don't have to worry about its longevity in my house. I love this recipe not only for how simple it is to make, but the how the limited ingredients optimally showcase the fruit instead of burying it.

The sweetness here comes from honey instead of sugar, which gives a subtle bit of flavor in addition to sweetness and blends beautifully with the strawberries. I recommend a mild honey like clover or wildflower honey, so as not to overwhelm the strawberries. As always, taste your fruit to evaluate its sweetness, add only half of the sweetener to start, taste again and then add more sweetener to taste. By the same token, tastes also vary widely in how sweet preserves should be-I tend to like mine a bit more tart than a lot of people, so I may add a bit more lemon juice and hold back on the honey or sugar. The sweetness of fruit varies widely, from the white-centered tasteless, but highly transportable, supermarket strawberries, to the pure red, juicy, wonderfully sweet farmer's market strawberries, so tasting as you go is extremely important.

For tips on how to test the consistency of your jam, see my post on Concord Grape Jam from last summer. It's hard to know exactly how thick the jam should be when hot to translate to the appropriate cooled consistency and this post details a great method for testing the hot jam. This jam is great on toast, bagels, English muffins, waffles, pancakes, PB&Js, and makes a fantastic ice cream topping. Although there are plenty of good commercially-available jams and preserves, nothing quite compares to fresh jam from local fruit, prepared with your own two hands.

Icebox Strawberry Jam
adapted from Food and Wine
makes about 2 cups

1 quart strawberries, thickly sliced (4 cups) 
1/2 cup honey 
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pinch kosher salt

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the strawberries with the honey, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt. Bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 40 to 60 minutes. Let cool, then refrigerate until chilled.

Classic Hummus

Hummus is my dip of choice for veggies. Ranch dressing and sour cream-based dips are good, don't get me wrong, but hummus is so much healthier and has a much more interesting flavor. It's so simple that I thought it was about time to try making it myself. I also got a new KitchenAid food processor last week and this is a great recipe to test it out. Roasted red pepper hummus is my favorite, but I always like to start with the basics. This recipe couldn't be easier, so there's really no excuse to buy it from the store anymore.

This hummus is a little thinner than I like; next time I'll probably use 3/8 cup of olive oil instead of the full 1/2 cup. This is a recipe where the flavor of the olive oil really comes through, so don't skimp on quality. Tahini (sesame seed paste) should be available in the ethnic food section of most grocery stores. It is somewhat expensive, but it doesn't take very much to add that wonderful sesame flavor. In the future I plan on adding other ingredients like roasted red peppers or olives to make the hummus a little more interesting.

Classic Hummus
from Food and Wine

1 c. cooked chickpeas, drained
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 T. tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper


1. In a food processor, puree the chickpeas, garlic, tahini and lemon juice. Gradually add the olive oil until incorporated. Season the hummus with salt and pepper and scrape it into a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve or use.