Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Pesto  is a sauce that originated in the Ligurian region of northern Italy.  Pesto genovese,  from Genoa, traditionally consists of crushed garlic, basil, and pine nuts blended with olive oil and  Parmigiano Reggiano.  The name derives from the Italian verb  pestare  which means to pound or to crush, referring to the original way of preparing it - with a mortar and pestle. The ingredients in a traditional pesto are ground with a circular motion of the pestle in the mortar. Now I use a blender. It's much easier! And...I use whatever greens and nuts I happen to have on-hand. So, for this version, I was inspired by my farmers' market find of purslane. Have you ever had purslane? I first encountered purslane in a CSA box years ago. It almost looks like a succulent. Amazingly, its leaves have more omega-3 fatty acids than in some of the fish oils. I think I read somewhere that it's technically a succulent herb. And it definitely has a lot of flavo...

Wednesday night is usually a fire-drill of some kind, especially with piano and mandolin lessons on the books for the boys. Quick and tasty is the name of the game. This dish fits the bill. It really only takes as long as the pasta takes to cook. Sweet. Ingredients 1 package of orzo 2 C purslane greens, chopped (click to read about purslane ) 1 C carrot top greens 3 T fresh herbs, chopped 1 C celery, diced 1 C carrots, shredded 1 C parmesan cheese olive oil 1 T tamari 1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice Procedure Bring water to a boil in medium saucepan. While you cook the orzo according  to the package directions, rinse the purslane, carrot greens, and herbs. Place everything in a large mixing bowl. During the last minute of cooking, place the celery and carrots in the pasta water to blanch them quickly. Drain everything and place them in the bowl with the greens. Season with tamari and lemon juice. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Toss to coat with olive oil until...

Who needs flowers when you can have a bunch of funky greens?!? Don't get me wrong...in a career before kids I was a florist. So, I know the power of a bouquet. But, at this point in my life, I'm more excited about seasonal greens. Have you ever had purslane? I first encountered purslane in a CSA box. It almost looks like a succulent. Amazingly, its leaves have more omega-3 fatty acids than in some of the fish oils. I think I read somewhere that it's technically a succulent herb. And it definitely has a lot of flavor. Think sour and salty all at the same time. Tonight I used it in a quick orzo dish with other herbs, carrot top greens, celery, carrots, and some parmesan cheese. Easy dinner! And the boys loved it so much, they all requested leftovers in their lunches tomorrow. Now that is saying something.