ITEMS
Basil
Swiss Chard
Broccoli Rabe
Ricotta Cheese
Fresh Linguine Pasta / Strawberries
Italian Sausage (bulk) / Strawberries
PRODUCERS
Gallatin Valley Botanical - Bozeman
Catamount Farm - Belgrade
Harlequin Produce - Arlee
Amaltheia Organic Dairy - Belgrade
Dolina Pasta - Bozeman / Fresh Roots Farm - Polson
Amaltheia Organic Pork - Belgrade/ Fresh Roots Farm - Polson
Broccoli Rabe & Chard Saltate (Italian sautéed greens)
1 1/2 - 2 lbs greens - any combo of broccoli rabe, swiss chard, or other hardy greens works
4 quarts water
Kosher salt
2-3 garlic cloves or scapes, chopped
3-4 Tbs Olive Oil
Pinch of dried pepper flakes, to taste
Rinse the greens well and chop into 1 1/2 inch pieces, stems included. Bring the 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Salt generously with ~2 Tbs kosher salt. Add the greens and cook, uncovered, until just tender, ~3 minutes.
Drain well, and rinse under cold running water to slow the cooking process. Press down gently to remove excess water. Heat the oil in the same pot, or in a large skillet, until shimmering. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for ~1 minute. Add the greens and stir until everything is well coated and heated through. Serve as a side dish, toss with cooked grains or pasta, add an egg... whatever sounds good!
Variation 1: Sautéed Greens with Italian Sausage
Using the recipe above, while the boiled greens are draining, cook 1 lb (1 package) Italian sausage, broken into ~1 inch pieces in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Remove sausage to a paper-towel-lined plate, wipe out skillet with a paper towel, and return pan to heat.
Heat the oil until shimmering. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for ~1 minute. Add greens and stir until everything is well coated and heated through. Mix in the cooked sausage and serve as above!
Variation 2: Greens & Italian Sausage with Fresh Linguine
Building off of the previous versions, you can also add the fresh linguine. Save a step by cooking the broccoli rabe/greens and pasta in a pot together. Since fresh pasta only cooks for ~4 minutes, the thicker stems can go in the boiling water with the pasta. Add the more tender leaves with about 2 minutes remaining. Save ~1 C of pasta water, then drain the pasta and greens together.
Cook the sausage in a large skillet while the pasta is draining, adding the garlic and pepper flakes for the last minute or so. Combine the pasta and greens with the sausage into one pan (whichever it all fits in better). Toss until well-mixed, adding pasta water a bit at a time until it's just a little saucy, but not watery. Keep the pan over low heat if needed, though this dish is also great at room temperature. Top with freshly grated parmesan or fresh basil, and season to taste.
Creamy Basil Lemon Linguine
Ricotta can be used in baked goods like quiches and sweet breads, whipped into a dip with some herbs and salt, spread on a sandwich, dolloped on a salad...anywhere you want a bit of rich creaminess, you can use ricotta. For me, it's hard to look past a simple pasta like this one, adapted from NYTimes Cooking. Serves 2-4
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 package fresh linguine
1 4-oz container ricotta
1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan (~1 oz), plus more for serving
1 Tbs fresh lemon zest + 3 Tbs lemon juice (1-2 lemons)
1/4 - 1/2 C fresh basil leaves, stacked, rolled, and sliced crosswise to chiffonade
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions, ~4 minutes. Reserve 1 C pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
In the same pot, while the pasta is draining, make the sauce: Stir together the ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, a pinch of salt and pepper, and 3/4 C reserved pasta water. Add the pasta, return to medium heat, and cook, tossing vigorously, until the noodles are well coated, 1-2 min. Add more pasta water as needed to gloss the noodles.
Add most of the basil and stir until evenly distributed. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with more grated Parmesan, black pepper and a garnish of basil leaves on top.
Variation 1: Creamy Basil Lemon Linguine with Swiss Chard
Again, cook the chard with the pasta to save a step. When prepping, separate the stems from the leaves. Stack and slice the leaves crosswise to make thin ribbons; chop the stems into bite-sized pieces. Add the stems with the pasta into salted boiling water. Add the leaves for just the last minute or two. Drain pasta and chard together and continue with the recipe above.
Additional Recipes & Suggestions
This Linguine with Kale and Toasted Hazelnuts is easily adaptable to what you have on hand.
There's a few delicious pasta recipes here as well, for a decadent Poblano Cream Sauce, as well as pasta with squash and spinach that could work well with some of our ingredients.
Use your ricotta as a dip or a spread for bruschetta
This sausage and pepper pasta from Budget Bytes is a great option as well
Still not sure how to use broccoli rabe? Here are some more ideas from Bon Appetit