What was in the box Wednesday

Even I'm in total awe this week:

cauliflower
broccoli
bunches of rosemary, basil and thyme
carrots
potatoes
beets
an english cucumber
lettuce
more tomatoes than I can count
garlic, shallots and onions
rainbow chard
italian red peppers
an eggplant
cabbage
string beans
a spaghetti squash
3 leeks

You should have seen me last night, sitting on the kitchen floor with all of this spread out around me. It was a bit like opening the clown car of CSA boxes. By the end I was truly chortling with anticipatory glee.

Plans include: baba ghanouj, leek/potato soup, potato salad with shallots and herbs, white bean salad with rosemary and veg, roasted beets with blue cheese, and plates and plates of veggie pastas and stir fries.

Here's my quick and dirty, off the cuff pasta recipe:

What you need on hand: olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, onions, some sort of sautee-able greens, butter, whole wheat pasta

Nice but not necessary additions: red pepper flakes, red wine vinegar or lemon juice, various other veggies (like peppers, eggplant, squash), parmesan cheese, herbs

The quick and dirty part: While you're cooking the pasta, heat some olive oil in a large sautee pan. Add chopped onions and garlic. (how much is a matter of taste. if you like things spicy, toss in some red pepper flakes now too) Stir frequently to avoid burning the garlic while you roughly chop the tomatoes (you want a good amount, 8-10 plum or 5 beefsteak type) and toss them in too. Let this simmer happily away. (somewhere in here you would add the additional veg, depending on how long it takes to cook) Add salt to taste. When the pasta is almost done, stir in several tablespoons of butter. This gives you a luscious silky sauce. (this is where you would add the acid if you choose, it adds another layer of flavor) Roughly chop your greens and toss them in too. (including any appropraite herbs you have to hand) Sautee until tender (if you're using something like spinachor arugula, just toss it in the warm sauce, something like chard or beet greens needs some time to cook). Drain the pasta, toss it in the pan and you're read to go.

This easily morphs into an asian noodle stir fry. Sub fresh chopped ginger root for the onion. Think about rice wine vinegar or a dash of soy. A splash of toasted sesame oil. Peapods. Mushrooms. Soba noodles. Garlic chile paste. Mmmmmmm.