It's summer... and it's about time (for some fresh vegetables)!

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Greetings! I apologize for my long absence. The simple truth is that I've been outside-- finally-- running, cycling and swimming. The weather has finally (though it seems reluctantly) turned away from the snow and cold of recent months to relative warmth. Nothing is more encouraging than seeing the snow recede. First, the yard was clear and now the trails are slowly becoming uncovered and runnable again.

With the change in weather has also come another element of the summer life: the farmer's market. We had our first in Tahoe City two weeks ago and since I've made a point to go every Thursday and enjoy the fresh vegetables and fruits from the valley. This week, I was lucky enough to find fresh tomatoes-- those little yellow ones that somehow contain flavor beyond their small size.  I did a search of all my recipes and decided to use them in a pasta recipe I found in an old Vegetarian Times.  And since it's been so long since I've posted anything about food, I thought I'd post a recipe that is both healthy and that contains the carbo-staple of many endurance athletes. Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Linguine with Torn Fresh Basil

Ingredients:

2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
1/2 lb. fresh asparagus, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
2 T olive oil
garlic (the recipe calls for 2 cloves, but Steve and I usually just use an entire bulb) minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
1//2 13.25 oz. pkg whole-wheat linguine
1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine the shiitake mushrooms, asparagus, oil, garlic and red pepper flakes.

3. Transfer to roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms and onions begin to brown, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. 

4. Add tomatoes to the pan and roast 7 to 10 minutes more, or until tomatoes shrivel and soften.

 

(It's OK to pace and admire the beautiful colors offered by the fresh produce. I did!) 

5. Transfer vegetables to bowl. 

6. Add wine to roasting pan, stirring to scrape off any stuck-on bits from the bottom of the pan. Place the roasting pan on burner over medium heat, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, or until wine has evaporated by half. I do not recommend the alternative method offered by VT which suggests one might place the roasting pan in the oven for 5 minutes. This caused my oven to catch fire. 

7. Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions.

8. Drain pasta, and reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Stir reserved cooking water into reduced wine in roasting pan. 

9. Return pasta to pot. Add wine mixture and vegetables, and toss over medium-low heat until heated through. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. 

10. Stir in torn basil leaves. 

11. Serve immediately. :)