This Week's CSA Share and an Aspargus Recipe to Try

Things are starting to pick up at the CSA. While asparagus is no longer (at least at this farm), other treats are ripe and ready. Here's what I brought home from the CSA tonight:

• A small bunch of tiny little scallions
• 0.8 lbs. of snow peas
• 0.4 lbs. of snap peas
• A large head of red leaf lettuce
• And yet more oregano (does anyone have any suggestions what to do with all this oregano, other than drying with is my only idea at this point)

Once my veggies were put away, I made a nice big salad, along with a herb-alicious meal I created to use up the asparagus and spring onion in my refrigerator. I also finally tried out the garlic scapes from last week, which tasted like a mixture of garlic and chives. If I hadn't served this sauté over pasta and topped it with grated parmesan cheese, it would have been my local meal for the week. Guess I'll have to come up with something more local later this week. In the meantime, give this recipe a try and tell me what you think.

Asparagus with Pesto Over Pasta
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 TBSP olive oil
1 spring onion, chopped
1 garlic scape, finely diced (or substitute 1 small clove garlic, minced)
20-25 stalks asparagus, tough ends removed, cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces
1/4 pesto (I used some parsley pesto that I'd made and frozen last season; use your favorite brand or make your own)
4 oz. whole wheat pasta, cooked and kept warm
Fresh herbs for garnish (I used parsley because my pesto was made with parsley, but you can use whatever herbs go well with your pesto of choice.)

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic scape to the oil and sauté until fragrant. Reduce to medium heat and add the asparagus, cooking just until it's bright green and tender. Cover in the pesto and stir until just heated through. Serve over the pasta and top with a few sprigs of fresh herbs.