Kitchen Garden Journal

• Fresh egg pasta:
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 5 eggs

Pour out the flour directly on your countertop or a very large pastry board, making a well in the center like a volcano.  Crack the eggs into the center of this well and begin to beat with a fork.  Little by little, incorporate flour from the walls of the volcano.  Try not to let the egg mixture break through the walls and go spilling everywhere.  Patience is the secret to fresh pasta: beat it with the fork until you can't bear it anymore. When the dough ball is ready to be worked by hand, relinquish the fork.  If you proceed to hand kneading too soon, though, you will make a sticky, eggy mess of your hands.  Knead the dough by hand, incorporating as much of the remaining flour as possible.  Next, the dough needs to rest.  Wrap your precious golden ball in plastic wrap and leave on the counter for 30 minutes.

After the dough rests, it's time to roll.  (If you don't have a pasta rolling machine, now would be too late to go buy one.)  Have some extra flour ready.  Cut off about a quarter of the dough ball and roll it out using the machine.  My method is to make a round disc by hand, coat it with flour, and roll it through stage 1.  Dust again, fold the piece in half, and send it though 1 again.  Now dust, proceed to 3, dust again, and proceed to 5.  I usually stop at the second to last stage because if you go all the way, the dough gets really thin and tears easily. You will find, through practice, your own method that works in your kitchen.

• Spinach-Ricotta filling:
• 1 lb spinach, blanched, cooled, squeezed, and chopped
• 1 quart ricotta
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until incorporated.

• Simple tomato sauce:
• Olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can whole peeled tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste 

Saute the garlic in the oil until just beginning to brown. Add the tomatoes and their juice and simmer until reduced, about 15 minutes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon along the way.  Season with the salt and pepper and toss in a few basil leaves if you have them.

Manicotti are the simplest type of filled pasta.  Just cut your pasta sheets into large rectangles, boil them until they float, and then drain.  Roll them with the filling, slather with sauce and some additional parmesan cheese, and bake for 25 minutes at 350.  Buonissimo!

Shortcut: use no-boil lasagna sheets and either just make it into a lasagna, or cut the sheets in half and boil them for a few minutes until soft enough to be rolled.

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• 2-3 large leeks, cleaned
• 1 large bulb fennel
• 1 pound spinach or chard
• 2 cloves garlic
• 8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 eggs
• Smattering of herbs like parsley, dill, and mint
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• Small pinch cayenne powder
• Salt & pepper
• 1 package frozen phyllo dough or puff pastry
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil

Thinly slice the leeks and fennel across the grain.  Heat 1/4 cup of the oil over medium heat in your most capacious frying pan or wok, or in a large saucepan. Add the sliced vegetables and sauté until thoroughly softened, about 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, wash and chop the greens and blanch in boiling salted water for 2 minutes.  Drain, chill in cold water, wring out and reserve.  Chop the garlic very finely and add to the sautéing vegetables.  When they are ready, remove from heat and add the greens, crumbled feta, herbs, lemon juice, and eggs. Mix thoroughly and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. 

Defrost dough according to package directions.  If using phyllo, place one sheet at a time on a large cookie sheet, brushing with the remaining oil between the layers until half the package is used.  Pour on the filling and spread it out evenly.  Cover with remaining dough, brushing each layer with oil, and bake at 350° for 45 minutes to an hour, until the top is golden brown.  Allow to cool slightly before serving.  Serve at room temperature the following day for lunch.

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Spinach has the goods and she knows it.  She plays hard to get.  She is very particular about her needs: cool temperatures, lots of moisture, and abundant fertility.  Without just the right combination she simply sits there and pouts, goes to bed early, or doesn't even bother to show up. 

That's why spring is the ideal time to savor the unique gifts of spinach: the earthy succulence of its leaves in salads; its melting tenderness when sauteed; the chalky taste it leaves in your mouth; its natural marriage to tangy feta and smooth milky ricotta, not to mention good old heavy cream.  Now is the time to roll up your sleeves, roll out some fresh pasta, and elevate spinach to its highest potential: lasagna, manicotti, ravioli.

It's also time to put some away for later, because spinach doesn't stick around long.  It's here just for a brief time in the spring and again in the fall.  Freezing spinach couldn't be simpler.  Just dip it in boiling water for 30 seconds, then plunge into cold water to stop the cooking. 

Drain it and form the leaves into baseball-sized balls, squeezing all the moisture out.  Here's the trick: when you put the balls in the freezer, make sure they aren't touching one another.  That way you can easily retrieve as many portion-sized balls as your recipe requires, and not be left trying to saw apart a massive block.

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