Spaghetti al Limone

FRESH PRODUCE TIPS:

 - Even though broccoli is grown specifically for its big flowering heads, the stalk and leaves are quite tasty and fun to use when you have access to them by either growing your own or working with a farmer! The outer skin of the broccoli stem can be quite tough, but by slicing it off to the core, much like peeling a carrot, you’ll find a pleasantly juicy and slightly spicy addition to the fluffy florets. The leaves can be used much like kale or collards; cooked down into soups or pasta sauces for some additional nutrition. 

 - Kale stems are a part of the plant that are often discarded without second thought. But they can be an incredible addition to your meals. Most often folks boil or blanch the stems before freezing them for smoothies or to blend into pesto or other sauces. We love to slice them thin, toss them in some starch or flour and then quickly deep fry them to put on top of pasta or other yummy savory dinners to add texture and reduce waste (see below for quick recipe).

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp cooking oil

• 1 lb asparagus

• 1 head broccoli 

• 1 bunch kale

  (We prefer curly kale for this recipe, but any type will do!)

• 3 garlic scapes

• 1-3 lemons

• 2 tbsp. butter

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 c. grated parmesan 

• 1 lb spaghetti or other long pasta

  Preparation

1. Trim off the bottom of the asparagus, separate the crown of the broccoli from the stem and remove and clean the broccoli leaves.

2. Cut the asparagus into 1-inch (bite-sized) pieces, cut the broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces, and peel and slice the broccoli stem into matchsticks.

3. De-stem the kale and the broccoli leaves and then roughly chop or tear into workable pieces. You can discard the stems or see our Golden Fried Kale Stems recipe

4. Mince the garlic scapes.

5. Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta.

6. We like to use the zest and juice of all three lemons for this recipe, but you can choose how much lemon you want. I pre-juice and zest my lemons into a small bowl and set to the side.

7. In a large skillet, heat the cooking oil and sauté the asparagus, broccoli and greens until slightly softened and browned (about 10-15 minutes on medium heat)

8. Cook the pasta then drain.

9. Pour the veggies into the hot spaghetti and toss to incorporate, add cheese and salt.

10. In the same skillet that you used to cook the vegetables, melt the butter and add the minced garlic scapes. Once they are sizzling and fragrant, add in the lemon juice and zest, cook down for a few minutes until the garlic is tender and then pour over the pasta and veggies.

11. Serve hot!