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It's SPRING and that can only mean one thing...

4/20/2009

3 Comments

 

  It's spring, I'm outdoors working in my formal vegetable garden, and I'm making pasta salads.




  In addition to adding several new planting beds for my heirloom vegetables, I also decided it was time to raise the original bricks that have been edging the garden for the past eleven years. 


  Needless to say, after three days of hauling bricks home from the brickyard, digging up the original bricks, and laying the old and new, I wanted something simple for dinner last night.  Along with a grilled flank steak, I served this Tortellini Salad with Snow Peas. 
  We are now having a gentle, cool rain, and temperatures are predicted to warm up nicely by the middle of the week.  At that point I will start planting haricot verts, my favorite green bean in bush form.   My husband is getting extremely anxious to plant his heirloom tomatoes that he started as seedlings in March, but it is still too early.  No matter how nice the weather is, it's always the safest bet to wait until Memorial Day weekend for planting tomatoes in Minnesota.

                               

                              TORTELLINI SALAD with SNOW PEAS

                            adapted from a very old House Beautiful magazine

• 1 1/2 pounds uncooked, meat or cheese-filled tortellini
• 1/2 pound snow peas

Dressing:
• 3/4 cup sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon Chinese hot oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• Pinch of each: cayenne, salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/8 cup fresh ginger, finely diced
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds

• 3/4 cup pine nuts (pingoli)
• 2 cans sliced water chestnuts

1.  Cook tortellini until al dente in boiling water.  Plunge into cold water to stop cooking and drain.  Toss snow peas into boiling water and cook for only 20 seconds.  Plunge into cold water and drain.
2.  Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl and beat well with a whisk.  Add dressing to the tortellini and stir in the rest of the ingredients.


3 Comments
June
4/20/2009 12:11:05 am

Your garden looks beautiful after all the work! Is that rhubarb I see at the front? Lucky you! I made a rhubarb raspberry pie last week from frozen rhubarb just because we were craving the taste of spring. Looks like you'll be making it from fresh very soon.

Reply
Susan link
4/20/2009 06:04:54 am

I am also looking for lighter recipes for the spring and summer so I was happy to see this delicious-sounding recipe - especially since I just planted snow peas ;)


I hope we get to see more of your garden as the season progresses :)

Reply
Cute~Ella link
5/28/2009 12:02:27 am

Oh that looks so yummy! Def on my menu for next week.

Reply



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