'FORCING' FORSYTHIA ~ PENNE PRIMAVERA

"Forsythia is pure joy. There is not an ounce, not a glimmer of sadness or even knowledge in forsythia. Pure, undiluted, untouched joy."

~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh

~ Forced Forsythia

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GARDENING TIP: Buckle your galoshes, grab a pail and pruning shears ... trudge through snow or swampy lawn and snip forsythia branches all the way to the main stem. Back inside, fill bucket with cold water and let rest 24 hours. Tomorrow, snip ends and arrange in container or vase, stripping leaves and buds below water line. Bursting buds will appear in a week or two.

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PENNE PRIMAVERA
~ 'Primavera' means 'Spring' in Italian
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1 lb. penne pasta or bow-tie (farfalle)
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large minced sweet onion like Vidalia
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 lb. diagonally cut asparagus (snap off woody stems)
1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms
3 diagonally thinly sliced carrots
1 matchstick sliced yellow pepper
1 matchstick sliced orange pepper
1 hefty cup frozen peas
1 pint grape tomatoes
10-oz. fresh stemmed baby spinach
1 bunch chopped fresh basil
coarse salt & fresh cracked black pepper
freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

• Heat wok or deep skillet. Add butter, olive oil, onion, garlic and pepper flakes. Saute until onion is limp. Add asparagus, mushrooms, carrots, and peppers and stir-fry until almost tender. Season with salt & pepper.
• Add peas and tomatoes. Cook until peas are thawed and tomatoes heated. Add spinach and fresh basil. Toss until spinach is slightly wilted.
• Serve over pasta cooked al dente. Top with slivers of chopped basil. Serve with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and loaf of crusty Italian bread, dipped in balsamic & freshly ground pepper infused olive oil.