A couple of vegetarian pasta recipes

How fortuitous was it that I should stumble over a pasta recipe calling for swiss chard just days after bringing home a bagful of the leafy greens from Country Gardens?  After my disastrous asparagus pie the other day, I was a bit hesitant to try another vegetarian recipe, but I really wanted to try something different with the swiss chard so I decided to give it a go.  The finished dish actually turned out better than I expected.  I loved the little bites of sweet raisins and the nutty crunch of the pine nuts.  I don't think it's the kind of dish  your family will drool over and beg you to make again and again (at least not if they're anything like mine), but it would probably delight any vegetarian dinner guests or swiss chard lovers you might find yourself preparing a meal for.

The recipe calls for a "bunch" of swiss chard.  What constitutes a bunch is pretty much up to you.  I used, well..... a BUNCH.  Before beginning the recipe, prepare the swiss chard by cutting out the stems; then thinly slice enough stems to give you about 1/2 cup and toss the rest away (or save for some other creative use.)  Slice the chard leaves into ribbons about 1/4 inch thick.  Now you're ready to start the recipe.

In a large skillet, melt

   6 T butter

Let the butter cook over medium heat until it turns a nutty brown then add in

   chard leaves, sliced

   4 cloves garlic, crushed

stir until wilted (about 3 minutes) and then toss in

   1 bunch of spinach leaves

again, cook and stir until wilted then stir in

   1 1/2 t lemon juice

   1/4 cup golden raisin that have been plumped for 10 minutes in hot water and then drained

For the pasta, cook according to package directions

   12 oz linguine

   1/2 cup swiss chard stems (toss in when you add the pasta)

Drain the pasta and swiss chard stems and mix in the wilted greens.  Stir in

   1 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

   1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

   1 T chopped chives

   2 t chopped fresh thyme

Salt and pepper to taste.

Along with a bag of swiss chard, I brought home something called garlic scapes.  These are the beautiful, curly tops of garlic plants.  They aren't nearly as strong as garlic, but have a wonderful garlicky taste.

To be honest, I wasn't quite sure what to do with these so I looked them up online.  I found a simple recipe for pesto made with garlic scapes and decided to give it a try.  It had a very "green" smell but the taste was much more mild.  My son had two bowls of farfelle with garlic scape pesto and he thought it tasted "pretty good."  If you'd like to try the pesto you'll need about one cup of sliced garlic scapes.

In a food processor, blend

   1 cup sliced garlic scapes

   1/3 cup walnuts

with the processor running, slowly pour in

   3/4 cup olive oil

add in

   1/4 - 1/3 cup grated parmesan

   1/2 t salt

pulse until well combined.