Pasta: The Culinary Little Black Dress

March 1, 2015 Moriah Lavendar 2283 Views 0 Comments Clean Eating, CSA recipes, eat local, Georgia Food bloggers, LocalLavender, Modern Southern Bloggers, Southern Bloggers, thedirtfarmers.com

It’s versatile. Good for daytime or evenings. You can dress it up or down. Everyone loves it. It’s pasta! You can make pasta as light & healthy or decadent & indulgent as you see fit. So go ahead and enjoy a bit of pasta with bunches of fresh veggies and you’ll still fit into that little black dress 😉 Here are a few pasta dishes I’ve made using farm fresh ingredients from thedirtfarmers.com CSA.

Wild Georgia Shrimp Scampi with Bacon & Goat Cheese

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 lb. Wild Georgia shrimp

2 slices Rocking Chair Ranch bacon

2 oz. Blue Moon Creamery goat cheese

1 very large or 2 small Meyer lemons, zested & juiced

1/2 cup dry white wine

4 large cloves garlic, minced

1/2 box whole wheat spaghetti, linguini, or cappellini

2 Tablespoons Southern Swiss butter

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt & fresh cracked pepper

Directions:

1. Remove heads, shells, tails, & devein shrimp (don’t you dare throw out those shrimp heads & shells! Put them in a ziplock bag and put them in the freezer to make shrimp stock later. Trust me. Shrimp stock makes the best shrimp & grits). Season shrimp with a pinch of kosher salt & a bit of fresh cracked pepper and set aside.

Wild GA Shrimp by LocalLavender.com — The Wild Georgia Shrimp we get at The Dirt Farm are the freshest, best tasting shrimp in Macon! They taste like the ocean.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and reserve a bit of pasta water (about 1/2 cup).

3. While pasta is cooking, use kitchen shears to cut bacon into bite size slivers. Cook in a large pot over medium heat until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon and let drain on a paper towel. Drain excess bacon fat leaving about 1 teaspoon in the pot.

4. Add Wild GA shrimp and cook 2 minutes each side, until shrimp are just pink. Remove from pot and set aside.

5. Add butter & olive oil to pot. When butter is melted add minced garlic and cook 2 minutes until garlic is fragrant and just begins to brown. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and white wine. Simmer sauce for about a minute to let all the flavors meld.

6. Using tongs, toss pasta with sauce. Add reserved pasta water if needed. Add shrimp and toss again.

7. Serve pasta & shrimp in a bowl. Top with crispy Rocking Chair Ranch bacon and crumbled Blue Moon Creamery Goat cheese. This would be delicious with a bit of fresh parsley or fresh green onions on top. Enjoy!

Here are some other delicious pasta dishes I’ve made lately

Pumpkin Mac-n-Cheese:

I still have quite a bit of pumpkin left in my freezer from our Incredible, Edible Pumpkin Patch last fall.

Orzo Primavera

When Thursday rolls around (the day before CSA pick up), and I still have a ton of vegetables left to use, I’ll sauté or roast everything and toss it with a bit of pasta, rice, or serve over a salad for a quick meal. For this incarnation I used squash, broccoli, green beans, garlic, onions, and tomato sauce over orzo.

Sausage & Peppers Spaghetti

Sausage & peppers is a classic combination. I browned Rocking Chair Ranch Italian sausage, drained, added sliced bell pepper, sliced onion, and marinara. Toss with spaghetti, top with Blue Moon Creamery goat cheese and fresh basil.

Romanesco & Rigatoni

Romanesco is the coolest looking vegetable we get in our CSA. I love its fractal design and its fresh taste. It breaks in to florets just like broccoli and cauliflower. I tossed the florets with olive oil, salt & pepper, roasted it in the oven, then tossed it with rigatoni, lemon juice, lemon zest, and parmesan cheese. Impressive and delicious!