Peas, Asparagus and an Unusual Spaghetti Dish

I’ve been neglecting all of my blogs while I’ve been spending every free moment in the garden. I have almost everything planted. I’m waiting for three more Earth Boxes to arrive and three more Topsy Turvey tomato planters. I have two already, and my best tomatoes last year were the upside down ones. I have to wait until June to get more. This planter was featured on HGTV's show I Want That. They became so popular that all the garden stores online are sold out.

The lettuce and radishes are wonderful. I used seed tape from Gurney's for lettuce and raishes. The tape keeps those seeds spaced perfectly. I didn't have to do any thinning. I'll have to plant more lettuce later this week.

We had a big salad tonight for dinner, along with grilled vegetable skewers and this great recipe from Giada De Laurentiis’s book Everyday Italian. I’m happy we bought this book. It’s full of uncomplicated classic Italian dishes. Judi used whole wheat pasta

Lemon Spaghetti Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

1 pound spaghetti
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.
Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.

It really was good with those roasted zucchini, onions and mushrooms.



The new soup at Panera Bread is an asparagus and pea. It is so delicious. Here’s my version of the soup.

Asparagus and Snow Pea Soup

4 tbsp sweet butter
2 large onions, peeled, quartered and sliced
½ c very thinly sliced celery
½ tsp salt
2 qt vegetable stock
1 lb green peas, frozen or fresh
1 lb asparagus, trimmed, cut in 1inch lengths, tips set aside
Freshly ground black pepper
Dash Tabasco
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Blanch asparagus tips in salted boiling water until tender. Rinse in cold water to stop cooking, and set aside. In a large soup pot over medium heat melt the butter, add the onions, the celery and the salt, and gently sauté until they are limp. Add the stock and bring to a boil, simmer about 20 minutes until onions are cooked through. Add the asparagus pieces (not tips). One minute later, add the peas. Simmer for 7-8 minutes or until peas and asparagus are tender but still bright green. Quickly puree all the soup and strain out vegetable fibers. Return the strained soup to pot and reheat (keep below boil to maintain color). Stir in Parmesan and a dash of Tabasco. Correct for seasonings and ladle into serving bowls, garnish with tips and serve immediately. About 10 servings.

Here’s an easy casserole that uses the same green pea and asparagus combination. My husband love asparagus casserole. You can use fresh or frozen vegetables.

Asparagus and Pea Casserole

1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 box frozen peas or fresh peas when available (mine will be available soon!)
1 pound fresh asparagus trimmed and cut into one inch pieces – or use a box of frozen
Boiled egg
1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
Bread crumbs

Blanch peas and asparagus in boiling salted water. Layer ingredients, peas, asparagus, soup. On top dice egg and sprinkle cheese and bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.