SUNDAY SUPPERS: red pepper pesto pasta & zucchini cake

She fell into him like a slow motion paraglider descending into flight. Lifting wings, taking a breath, and realizing she'd never want to land.

Well, well. If it isn't little Miss Lola. She's all in love. Goodness. Get a room right. The only time other people want to hear about your love fest is when its about a new dark chocolate maker in Portland or something. You know, crap that can be shared with other people. But oh my, how I love him. And lots of good news I owe you thanks to him. So will you forgive me? I promise I didn't mean to be gone so long from this blog, but lots and lots of good things came my way, so time to savor it was in order. Its all about stopping to smell the daisies and lifting your head to the sun in gratitude. Which, as an organic farmer now, I do daily. Farming though, has brought me more than just ignorance shattering food knowledge (another story altogether). Its dropped bucket loads of wholesome, seasonal foods into my lap like a baby stork drops...well, babies.

As of late, this bounty has included summer squash (its summer, yay! oh right, what did you do on July 4? spill all your party details) as well as big beautiful bell peppers. Now, bell peppers have been a sneaky little devil for me to work with in the past. My momma likes them raw in salads, but I dare not acquire that palate. So I never quite figured out what to do with them while lacking a good recipe collection to model after. In hardworking farmer redundant fashion, I took a method I developed well and threw together what the land has provided me. Yes, more pesto my friends. But not just any pesto. Roasted red pepper pesto. Holy smokes! And to give healthy eating a knee slapper, I disguised my vegetables in the form of a caramel smothered chocolate cake. Because if you can't have your veggie cake and eat it too, what is there to live for? Oh yes, a guy who goes meandering through the woods to pick you two bouquets of summer florals. Ahhh, that is worth falling for.

ROASTED RED PEPPER PESTO PASTA

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package angel hair pasta
• 6 oz black olives, cut in halves
• 2 red bell peppers, roasted (simply slice and place in oven at 400F and peel skin once cooled)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD

1. Add red peppers, fresh basil, garlic, balsamic vinegar and pine nuts to food processor. Pulse until fine. Stream in olive oil while food processor is on. Add cheese and blend until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Taste occasionally for perfect al dente. About 12 minutes. Add pasta to large bowl. Add olives and pesto. Mix well to combine. Serve with salad and/or fresh bread.
   

CHOCOLATE SUMMER SQUASH CAKE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ¼ cups organic all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup organic brown sugar (I used dark)
• 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon minced crystallized ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup organic vegetable oil (I used neutral canola)
• 1/2 cup organic applesauce2 eggs
• 1 heaping cup shredded zucchini, pressed

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease your baking dish of choice and set aside. I used a quick release pan.

2. In a bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, crystallized ginger, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

3. In another bowl, combine oil, applesauce, eggs and sugars; add to dry ingredients and mix well. Add zucchini; stir until thoroughly combined. Pour into the prepared baking pan.

4. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

For the Frosting As Pictured

1. Over a double broiler or in a nonstick pan, add about 1/3 cup heavy cream then about 1/2 cup chocolate chips and mix until melted.
2. Once cooled slightly, add in about 2 to 4 oz of caramel. Stir until just combined.
3. Frost cake with icing once completely cool. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

WHAT I LEARNED:

I like to stick with tradition, so add a bit of lemon juice to the pesto after the olive oil. Its a great acidic contrast. But skip the lemon zest as some pestos call for. You want to savor the sweet peppers, not muddle them. Also, I hate hate hate cold pasta. I always make my pasta last because dry pasta cooks so quickly. If you are anal like me, follow suit and always make your pasta al dente after everything else for your supper has been prepared. Then simply stir in your sauce, or in this case pesto. Saving pasta water is also another handy trick I've made habitual just this year.

For the cake, make sure to press the moisture out before adding to the batter or else your cake will be a bit more dense than desired. And most people crave a maple cream cheese frosting, but I am not most people. I was in the mood for a good artisanal sea salt dark chocolate bar, and instead made a zucchini cake since the store is a good hour drive away. So what's a girl to do but douse this cake with an herb garden caramel sauce courtesy of my dessert club, and then top it off with sea salt. Yum.

pictured above, me as photographed on the farm by my sweet