I’m really trying to be better at waking up early enough to get to the Farmer’s Market.  I love the scene with all the booths and crowds of people, all the adorable puppies and babies.  The Mosaic Market even has live music and food trucks.  But I am not very good at cooking by the seat of my pants, so after I pick out some yummy looking veg, it usually ends up getting tossed into a pasta.  Even more so when the market offers amazing artisan pasta from Pappardelle’s Pasta.  C’est la vie!

My first batch of veggies (asparagus, tomato, and leek) went into a white wine, lemon, and butter sauce with the garlic chive artisan pappardelle.  I cooked the leek down in butter and olive oil, then added some white wine, lemon juice, and pasta water along with chopped tomatoes.  When that had cooked to a good sauce consistency, I tossed in blanched asparagus and the cooked pasta (1 minute shy of al dente).  I finished it off with lemon zest, Parmesan, and black pepper and served it with salmon.

I still had tomatoes and a random eggplant that I picked up for no reason, so I decided to do a riff on this pasta.  I really should have used a whole wheat pasta, but I just love gemelli and I can’t find it in whole wheat anywhere.  It’s the perfect short shape because it has good structural integrity (meaning it cooks evenly and doesn’t get mushy edges).

Anyway, I roasted the eggplant while I caramelized an onion (I really wish I had a red onion, but I didn’t).  After adding garlic, a splash of sherry, and a splash of balsamic vinegar, I added some chopped tomato and a pat of butter (trying to get the essence of the Marcella Hazan sauce without cooking it for 45 minutes).  Then I added in the eggplant, cooked pasta (1 minute shy of al dente), and a splash of pasta water and let it come together.  Then I topped it with fresh basil and black pepper and served it with some hanger steak from the market (one of the few places where I can find it – there’s only 1 per cow and they sell fast). (more…)