PESTOOOO.M.G!

pasta and sauce.

like, why, man?

why are those two things SO flippin' good?

it doesn't really even matter what pasta and what sauce-

they just go together to make a whole new other 'nother next level combination

of flavors and textures and hottness for your hungry effing face.

...and that's no joke.

i have an aptitude for italian-style food.

i do.

and it's not even my favorite stuff to make-

but, i mean, should i squander a gift like that?

no way.

it's not as if there's tons of expert vegan sauce sorcery poppin' off up here,

and i can just scoople up some molto-molto-bene jauns wherever and whenever....

but i can sure-as-sh!t make a masterpiece out of thin air without a care in the world,

and share it with y'all, so we can have a lil moment together as professional 

appreciators of pasta-based excellence 

and conscientious shark-gluttony from the future.

ha!

that's real.

ANYway, i had an idea, a surplus of basil, 

and an eggplant left over from the day before-

so, when dylan the dude came over again, with MORE miyoko vegan mozz?

the semolina pasta production got fired up, and the new-new got underway.

i got that pasta in my DNA, and i'm adept at making a plate look tight af.

for really-real, i only ever want to eat beautiful food.

y'know?

and it's the one truly joyous outlet i have complete creative control over these days-

check the teleport:

PESTO IS THE BEST-O!!!

and those tortellini are stuffed with smoky roasty red pepper and eggplant boomfire,

with a touch of spiciness, and a TON of full-bodied flavor.

damn, dudes, y'all weren't ready. heck, neither was i, at first, 

but i caught up to speed as fast as my little hands could fold those pouches, y'heard?

mmmhmmm.

this has ALLLLL the best bits, 

and they all go together like sprockets and cogs in clockwork.

i love when that happens.

so, there's eggplant filling, in homemade pasta pockets-

there's from-scratch basil-spinach sunflower seed pesto-

crisp sweet potato, blackened tomatoes, 

and toasty sunflower seed sprankles,

and that bright, bright, bright lemon kiss to turn it up to eleven.

basically, 

it's an overload of awesome, and i never wanted it to end.

so,

where do we begin?

with the pesto, i guess.

-

*

BASIL-SPINACH-SUNFLOWER PESTOOOOOO!

-

brown 5 whole cloves of garlic in a genrous glug of olive oil,

and add them into your food processor, along with:

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds;

1+ cup fresh basil;

1 handful baby spinach;

1 punch of fresh parsley;

1 T scallion greens;

2 T lemon juice;

2 T nutritional yeast;

1/4 cup olive oil;

pink salt, black pepper to taste,

and a splash or two of water to emulsify te F* out of all of that.

pulse it until it's paste (that's what pesto means, bro)

and let it hang out and marry into itself so the flavor intensifies while you're pasta-ing.

word up.

*

the pasta is the same as always, which is to say: perfect.

here's that recipe, again-

1 cup semolina flour;

1 1/4 cup flour;

1 tsp salt;

3 T olive oil;

3/4 cup warm water.

kneaded fot 10, rested for 10, rolled and cut on a very well-floured surface.

that's expert.

*

the filling was so easy, i almost feel like a cheater listing the process,

but i'll do it, just because i care about you, as far as you know-

-

*

EGGPLANT-RED PEPPER SMOKY FUOCO!

-

dice up one small italian eggplant, skin-on, into 1/4" bits,

and saute it in olive oil with 

1/4 cup minced sweet onion;

3 cloves crushed garlic;

1 tsp ea. Garlic Powder Onion Powder,

pink salt, black pepper, 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes,

and a tablespoon of nutritional yeast;

add in 1/4 cup minced red pepper;

3 shakes of liquid smoke;

1 tsp tamari-

and sweat all that down to a roasty-toasty softened stuffing-

it shouldn't take more than 15 minutes on medium-high heat... 

but you know what you like, neighbors, so cook it until it's done enough for your taste.

toss in 1 T shredded scallion greens, and 2 T fresh parsley,

and you've got yourself some kind of supreme elitism, 

ready for tucking into those pasta circles, along with a spoonful of that miyoko mozz.

which, incidentally, is very authentically-cheese-tasting stuff.

y'know you wanna fold, and tuck and pinch 'em up-

and you've GOT to let 'em rest before you boil 'em.

that's a thing.

and also, the water better be hella salty, too.

these are the rules for maxxximizing positivity in your dinnertime experience.

i'm telling you- this is the way to go.

...and when you fish out all those fat, floaty 'linis with your strainery spider ladle,

be sure to toss all of them with a huge scoop of pesto, and a splash of the pasta water,

so they're completely coated, soaked, and saturated in SAUCE.

too much is the right amount when it comes to pesto, 

and everything else,

so don't go getting cheap on me now, bro.

WORD.

and then there's still all the upgrades to tell you about-

check it:

C'MON, MAN!!!

that's borderline smut, no?

like, a filthily fresh and scandal'iciously dope mountain of wizard-style conjuration,

live and direct from my kitchen to your eyeballs-

there's nothing to hate here.

baby spinach on the bottom of the plate,

a whole heap of those rich, savory, smoky, cheesy, bright, nutty, 

toothsome al-dente dollops of delight,

and then, a whole mess of exxxtras to really activate the experience,

and change the way you feel about food.

mmmmmmmmm.

crisp pan-fried sweet potato? hell yes! 

blackened tomatoes, tossed in olive oil? F* yeah!!

toasted sunflower seed spranks? wuTANG!!!

and MORE baby basil leaves, 

just to exxxplode your face off with MORE flavor?!?!

yes. yes. YES. YES. YES!

.....then, when you squeeze a little fresh lemon on top?

oh MAN-

you may as well just punch yourself in the face, 

because there's a finite number of tortellini to eat,

and once they're gone, nothing will seem to be any good for some time afterwards.

it's like one of those better-to-have-loved-and-lost kind of a thing.

you're happy you had it, but you're so sad you don't still have it.

awwwwwwww.

if you aren't making food that breaks your heart, 

you aren't making the right kind of food.

and i mean that from the bottom of my own broken pump.

***********

it's all about dinner these days.

the warm, long-lasting summer light;

the long, lambasted hours of tattzapping, always, and all the time;

the desire to be healthier, happier, and less homely;

to be more subtly nuanced, more completely nourished, 

and the most positive and forward-moving version of myself...

ALL that leads to making magnificent meals to culminate the days 

in a crescendo of creativity, progress, process, 

feasting and fulfilling the needs and the wants of a hungry mind and body at once-

i'm sustaining my little woodsly goodsly world with radical expert vegan foodstuffs,

from scratch, made with my heart, mind, and hands,

so that every day is the best day, and it always ends with a headful of ideas,

a belly full of heroic food,

and a heart packed full of promise... 

it's not always easy, but it's all really happening,

and that's really what it's about;

never quiet, never soft.....