This is another recipe that is more of an outline than a strict recipe. Much of what goes into it is dictated by what’s in the garden or the vegetable drawer. A few of the components need to be a part of it: the limes, garlic, cashews, mushrooms and parmesan are always there. After that, put in whatever you like for vegetables. I call this a summer pasta and a week night pasta because it is not heavy like a winter red sauce and it’s quick and easy to prepare after work. Eat hardy and walk away from the table not feeling bloated. And the limes give it a nice zingy fresh flavor.

Olive oil
3 or 4 diced cloves of garlic
Quarter of a red onion chopped
White wine
Small package of your favorite mushrooms
Cup of Carrot chips
Small zucchini cut in rounds
Couple of diced garlic scapes
3 squeezed limes
Chopped basil
Handful of cashew halves
1lb linguini
Fresh grated parmesan

Coat the bottom of a skillet with olive oil; I use an old number 10 (big) cast iron frying pan I’ve had for decades and is perfect for dishes like this. Start with the garlic and red onion on medium heat until the garlic turns golden brown. Pour in a healthy dollop of white wine (you need the liquid) and put in the mushrooms and carrots. I like the chips because they cook nicely but any cut of carrot will work fine. Give the mushrooms and carrots a few minutes and then add the zucchini and garlic scapes. If the mix dries out along the way, pour in some more wine. Near the end I pour the juice from the limes in. I’ve mentioned this in other recipes; I have an antique lemon press that I use all the time. It’s made by Wear-Ever and dates back to the 1930s. It work’s really well and I use it a lot. There are plenty of modern lemon presses available online if you don’t have one. Drain the linguini and pour the contents of your skillet over it. This is when you add the fresh basil and cashews; they don’t need to be cooked. The cashews give the dish a different flavor and a little crunch. The final touch is the freshly grated parmesan. Once you start using fresh parmesan you will not want to go back… it is wonderful! From start to finish this should not take more than 30 minutes.

One comment is in order; the trick to dishes like this is knowing when to put the different vegetables in. Carrots, mushrooms and onions need to cook the longest. Zucchini and garlic scapes need a lot less cooking time. If you use broccoli you need to be very careful, over cook it and it becomes limp and bitter. It’s a trial and error thing; the more you do it the better you get.

Enjoy!
~David