Cook This: Dinner Tonight!

Inspiration for tonight's dinner -- simple, balanced, seasonal and delicious (the pasta has your meat and vegetables all tossed in and the salad hints at dessert.)

We've neatly condensed the recipes below, but to read the fully fleshed-out versions (and save and print them) just click on the recipe links or photos. Dinner is served!

The Menu:

Strawberry Salad by Jestei

 

Pasta with Prosciutto, Snap Peas, Mint and Cream by le chef

 

 

The Grocery List:

• • 1/4 pound prosciutto shank (just ask the deli counter to slice it into 1/4-inch thick slab)
• • 4 shallots
• • 1 pint cream
• • 1/2 pound fresh snap peas
• • 1/2 cup fresh mint
• • 3/4 pounds (3/4 box) pasta (farfalle or orecchiette)
• • 1 pint of strawberries (preferably Seascape)
• • 3 cups market mesclun
• • 1 celery rib
• • 1 small fennel bulb

 

We hope you have olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a few cloves of garlic, a hunk of parmesan, salt and freshly ground pepper on hand -- you may even have pasta (we're not wedded to orecchiette, mind you -- just one that nicely cups the sauce.) 

The Plan:

1. Put a pot of water on to boil. Let that sit -- bugger off.

2. Prep your salad: hull and third your strawberries, wash and dry the mesclun (or take the shortcut on this one, folks -- if you know what we mean), chop your celery and fennel and assemble.

3. Dice your prosciutto, mince your shallots, chop your snap peas -- mise en place, people! Get what will be your pasta sauce rolling by tossing those shallots in a pan.

4. Drop the pasta in your (now boiling) water. While you wait for 8-10 minutes (or until your noodles are, of course, perfectly al dente), grate the cheese, chop the mint, and douse with cream to finish your sauce in the last couple minutes.

5. Drain the pasta and toss with sauce. Dress your salad.

Aside: Pour yourself a glass of white. You deserve it. Why? Because dinner is served.