Six Feet Over (Again)

The potato boxes one month on. They've loved the biblical rains we've had of late. The pots have all been filled to the brim with soil. Now we wait for the flowers. Attractive plants, I think. And they'll keep us from starving after the Trump apocalypse in the fall.

Gratuitous picture of Ritchie and Fiona, also one month on.

The red fingerling.

Overall, the garden is doing quite well, except for Bernie, who's been stifled by the DNC virus. 

Pici Keen Spring Garlic

Last night called for a special meal: It was my 31st wedding anniversary, and I was also down to the last of my spring garlic. My favorite way to use spring garlic, also called green garlic, is in a simple dish of pasta with olive oil. This lets the subtle green garlic flavor come through unhindered. Spring garlic is to garlic what scallions are to onions, a milder version of the other. I also used the tops, in a big batch of veggie broth.

I did add a couple of cloves of garlic for a little extra kick.

Sauté the garlic in a copious amount of olive oil. I also add a few red pepper flakes to punch it up.

For the pasta, I used my favorite, (after my home-made variety): Pici, from Siena, Italy (this via Eataly in Chicago). Pici is a thick hand-rolled spaghetti-like pasta, (think bucatini on steroids, only not hollow).

Pici is THICK, and takes a good 20 plus minutes to reach al dente. A minute before that, however, drain the pasta and add it to the garlic and olive oil. Reserve a cup of pasta water to add to the pasta, the secret ingredient to making a velvety smooth sauce.

Sprinkle on a little parm and enjoy.