Rutabaga and Spinach Stuffed Triangles

1/4 lb spinach
1 1/2 cups rutabaga, cooked mashed and cooled
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 T sugar
1 c. grated Italian cheese
6-8 T. butter
9 sheets phyllo dough, thawed according to the package 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Blanch the spinach leaves and chop. Combine with rutabaga, nutmeg, sugar and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Melt butter. 

Unfold the phyllo dough. Pull off one sheet. Brush surface lightly with butter. Place another sheet over the first and bursh with butter again. Repeat with a third sheet. Cut the layers of dough vertically into six strips. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling at the bottom of each strip. Fold each strip like a flag, i.e. folding one corner over the filling to form a triangle, then continue folding the triangle back and forth up the strip. Place the folded pastry on a baking sheet. Continue with the remaining dough and filling. 

Brush the filled pastries with remaining butter. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve promptly. 

Pasta with Broccoli Cream Pesto

from www.smittenkitchen.com

1/2 lb broccoli
1/2 lb pasta

1 T butter
1 T olive oil 

1/2 small onion
1-3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. salt or more...
Fresh ground pepper or red pepper flakes (or both) 
4 T heavy cream 

Heaping pile of grated parmesean 

Boil salted water for pasta. Cut broccoli florets from stems and chop into medium pieces. Slice the stems into 1/2 inch chunks. 

Use pot of pasta water to steam broccoli and stems (either by suspending a strainer over the pot or throwing them in for 5-6 mins. Set them aside. 

Add pasta and cook. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Set aside. Drain the pasta. 

In the bottom of your pasta post, melt butter and olive oil together over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender. Add garlic and cook for a minute more. Add steamed broccoli, salt and pepper. Pour cream over mixture and let cook for 30 seconds. 

Transfer broccoli mixture to a blender or food processor ( or leave it in the pot and use an immersion blender). Don’t worry if it looks dry— you can add some pasta water either to the mixture, or wait until you’ve combined the pesto with your pasta. Add broccoli pesto back in the pot with pasta- add cheese and enjoy! 

Pasta with Golden Fennel

Adapted from Local Flavors by Deborah Madison 

Large fennel bulb
2 T butter
1 T olive oil
Grated zest and juice from 1⁄2 a Lemon
1 garlic clove minced 

3⁄4-1 lb. fettuccine- or whatever pasta you prefer
Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
(We added a pinch of crushed red pepper on top- for some spice) 

Quarter the bulbs, and slice thinly, even the core. Melt 1 T of the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the fennel and sauté over high heat, until browned slightly, 7 to 10 mins. Season with salt. Toss with lemon juice then add 1 cup of water. Reduce heat and cook, covered until liquid has evaporated. Add more water as needed until fennel is very soft and golden in color– about 25 mins in all. 

Chop some of the greens (if there are any) with the garlic and lemon zest and set aside. When pasta is ready, add it to the pan with fennel along with the garlic, greens, and lemon zest combo. Season with salt and pepper and cheese to your liking. 

Summer Kale Pasta

For 4 people:

4 cups of coarse chopped kale
8-12 pearls of garlic, the more the better in our house
1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth

Put everything in a large frying pan with a cover. Saute to your desired preference of tenderness; this should take 5-15 minutes depending on what one likes. Meanwhile, boil 1/2-2/3 lb of pasta and when done, toss with the kale. We like farfalle for the pasta, but spaghetti is great, too. 

Top with some grated cheese. Mangiamo! 

Eggplant Curry

From Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

2 medium-large eggplants, cut into 1” cubes
2 onions, chopped
1 t fenugreek seeds
1 T ground coriander 

1 T ground cumin
1 t ground turmeric 

1⁄4 t ground cayenne pepper
1 t freshly grated ginger
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
1⁄4 c fresh cilantro, chopped
1⁄2 c olive oil 

Sprinkle eggplant with 1 teaspoon salt and let stand for 1 hour. Rinse and pat dry. 

Cook eggplant in olive oil over high heat until browned but still firm. Set aside. Sautee onions with spices until onions are tender. Add remaining ingredients except fresh cilantro. Simmer for a few minutes. Add cooked eggplant, mix well, simmer for up to one hour. Serve over rice, garnished with chopped cilantro.