Above is a picture of my first real harvest of the year: a bunch of Rainbow Swiss Chard. It was a big deal to me, because as with many gardening adventures, the harvest was hard-won. We have discovered cute but pesky little rabbits in our garden lately, and they were eating down not only Swiss chard, but also new bean plants, basil, and even eggplants. I tried one remedy of 1 part each of chili powder, garlic powder, and bone meal, and it seemed to keep them away, but it also seemed expensive given that the repellent washed away with every good watering or rainfall. I finally gave in and bought a roll of chicken wire. I’m a bit tired at this point of continuing to spend money on the garden, but I’m hoping that it’s an investment that I can use over the next few years.
But back to the Swiss Chard. I was so happy about the harvest, that I decided to try a new homemade pasta recipe in honor of it. I don’t have a pasta maker, but this recipe for whole wheat tagliolini didn’t require one. Instead, it was a simple dough that was rolled out with a rolling pin and cut with a knife. It was also delicious.
I sauteed the Swiss chard with some garlic, mushrooms, onions, and olive oil, squeezed some lemon juice on top, and finished with parmesan cheese. Then I added in the cooked pasta, sauteed it for a few minutes, and added some sliced chicken breast from our barbeque night to the top.
Some think that homemade pasta is too much of a hassle, but it really wasn’t. I also learned that you can freeze the dough, or even roll out the noodles and freeze those before cooking in bunches, so I may try this in the future to make it more convenient. But this time, it certainly was fun!
