CELEBRATE SPRING (VERNAL EQUINOX) ~ PENNE PRIMAVERA

For lo, the winter is past,

the rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth,

the time of singing has come

and the voice of the turtledove

is heard in our land.

The fig tree puts forth its figs,

and the vines are in blossom;

they give forth fragrance.

Arise my love, my fair one,

and come away.

~ The Song of Solomon, 2:11-13

VERNAL EQUINOX

(Hubbard Lake, MI)

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 sweet (Vidalia) onion

2-3 minced garlic cloves

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 lb. diagonally cut asparagus spears (woody stems snapped off)

1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms

3 diagonally 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 and freshly ground black pepper

freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

additional fresh basil for garnish

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

Note: For a perfect meal, serve with a loaf of crusty Peasant bread and good bottle of Italian wine.

"We need spring. We need it desperately and, usually, we need it before God is willing to give it to us."

~ Peter Gzowski

(Spring Tonic)