Six Week Project: Day Eleven

For the past two weeks, since my girlfriend and I meandered around the West Side Market in Cleveland and spotted heavy bundles of coiled pappardelle pasta at Ohio City Pasta, I have craved nothing but that. I love pappardelle pasta. It's like sheets of lasagna that have been cut into thick strips, then usually smothered in something delicious, saucy and full of Italian love. Pappardelle and I have had a date on the horizon for some time.

For dinner tonight, I decided to saute, in olive oil, the very last of a bunch of Green Edge Organic's Swiss Chard I bought three weeks ago (this stuff lasts, it's amazing), along with some carrots from the Athens Farmer's Market, some local red bell pepper I've had chopped and tucked away in my freezer, and some local green beans which have been living next door to the red bell peppers. I added some roasted garlic, dried basil and oregano, white wine, organic-free-range chicken stock, and some cooking water from the papperdelle until I was happy with the taste and consistency. Once the pappardelle had been cooked, I tossed the pasta in with this mixture and served it topped with slices of Norwood Cheese from Kenny's.

It hit the spot. The thick pieces of homemade, whole-grain papperdelle were velvety and filled every crease and crevice of my mouth as I tried to eat them whole. It was a pasta experience of a repeat, which may very well happen. I don't know how many people take the time to make their own pasta, let alone on a week night after working all day, but let me tell you: it's worth it. Enjoy, and always remember to buy local and eat well.