Series: From my Covid gardens
Entering summer, I had a full garden. It was too hot for lettuces but there were enough for at least two more weeks of salads, to which I’d add tomatoes, cucumbers, raw beets, zucchini, beans and peas. Oh, and our raspberry bushes were very generous as usual at that time of the year. So, I’d throw a handful of raspberries to each of the salads.
Gemelli salad (or warm pasta dish) with Swiss chard and beet leaves
I’ve been avoiding tomato pasta sauce for years, except when I make my own. I use all kinds of other ingredients instead and most of the time it has leafy greens in it.
By the end of June there was some serious leaf mass in the gardens. Chards were huge, kales needed use before hardening and of course there was an abundance of beet leaves. Again, I use every edible part of the plants. In this case I only used the greens and their stems as a pasta sauce.
Ingredients
½ package of gemelli pasta. You can also use fusilli.
Leafy greens and their stems, well washed and chopped. I used Swiss chard (green and red) and red and yellow beets’ leaves.
1 onion (for this recipe I used red, but any will do)
2-3 tbs olive oil
Feta cheese to tase
Additional for the salad:
Peppercorns and lemon juice to taste
Yellow zucchini – raw
Grape tomatoes
Peas
Raspberries to decorate
Preparation
In large pan, sauté the onions and then add the chopped stems of the greens. After the stems are soft (about 5 min) add the greens and stir until they are wilted but not overcooked.
In parallel, cook the gemelli (you’ll need more time for the pasta to cook so start it before the greens)
Add a few spoons from the pasta water to the pan with the greens. Add the cooked and drained gemelli and mix well. Add some feta cheese and coarsely ground pepper corns and you have a warm and tasty dinner dish.
For the salad:
If you want to make the salad, let the mixture cool, transfer to a bowl, add lemon juice, some more peppercorns if you wish and let it sit in the fridge overnight.
Next day I sauntered around the gardens, picked fresh tomatoes, zucchini, and peas. Yellow zucchini will be better for adding a colour. Sliced them all in small pieces, mixed with the Gemelli and spooned into serving bowls. Topped with some more feta. Decorated with raspberries from my raspberry patch.
It is simple, filling and delicious.
Salmon with Gemelli salad and sautéed zucchini
I still had some pasta leftovers. They’d serve as my starches side for the salmon Alex barbequed. The third part is zucchini.
I chopped 3 zucchinis, freshly picked from the gardens, and sautéed them in olive oil with onions and garlic. Added a pinch of salt. Once soft, they are a ready vegetable side for my dish. Serve with yogurt and top with dill.
Salad with lettuce greens and herbs
Ingredients
Pick all the ingredients just before making the salad.
Leafy salad greens
1 yellow zucchini
Red and yellow beets (I used their leaves in the recipe above) – 1 medium size each
A handful of green beans and peas
Flowering herbs (it was July and most of the herbs had flowers). I used dill, oregano and mint
Raspberries
For the dressing: lemon juice, olive oil and salt to taste. Optional peppercorns.
Preparation
Quarter the zucchini lengthwise then thinly slice the quarters. Note that for the salad, the zucchini has to be fresh and firm. Chop the green beans. Slice the beets into small pieces. Tear the salad greens into pieces (never cut salad greens with a metal knife or they will quickly brown at the cut; if you prefer to cut your greens, use a ceramic knife). Mix everything well. Mix the freshly-squeezed lemon juice, salt and olive oil. You can add some freshly ground peppercorns if you want. Add the dressing to the salad, mix well and place in serving bowls. Top with raspberries (other berries will do too) and the herbs and serve. You can keep it refrigerated for a few hours.
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