For Two:
140 grams spaghetti
1 large bunch basil
olive oil
1/3rd cup pine nuts
8 cloves garlic
1 lemon
1/2 lb Rockfish Fillet (or substitute sea bass or red snapper)
salt
pepper

Start a large pot of water boiling, meanwhile using your food processor to combine washed basil, pine nuts, juice of one lemon, several tablespoons of olive oil and salt & pepper to taste to make the Ligurian-style pesto (basil grows like a weed in Liguria, and the Italian Riveria region is the origin of this now popular tapanade).

When the water is ready for the spaghetti, add 2 T salt to the water. Add spaghetti, cook AL DENTE. The pasta should retail some stiffness when it is finished (when you roll it into a ball on a spoon, the last inch of the noodle should stick out defiantly).

After adding the spaghetti to the pan, heat your non stick skillet to medium high, add olive oil, and then your lightly salt & peppered fish fillet. Cook most of the way with the top side down, then flip to finish.

Drain the pasta, put back in the saucepot and add several tablespoons of your fresh pesto, mixing well. Serve in a ball (use a serving two-prong fork to roll it into one) in a soup or pasta bowl. Cut the fish fillet in half and serve on top with lemon slices.

Wine: Vermentino from Liguria (hard to find! Will say “Cinque Terre” most likely), Sardegna, or Tuscany (in that order of preference), or a nice Sauvignon blanc or Pinot Grigio-Tocai blend.

For Two:
1-1.5 cups kumquats, washed and halved from stem to bottom
1 small pork tenderloin (~.7 lb)
pine nuts
1/3rd cup polenta (dry, bulk)
1/3rd=1/2 lb fresh fava beans (weight before shelling)
olive oil
butter
parmasean reggiano
salt
pepper

Boil 3 cups water for the 1/3rd cup polenta. When simmering, add polenta and whisk frequently for 8-10 minutes ensuring it does not stick to the bottom. Alternatively, use chicken stock or other stock for more flavor.

Heat a small sauce pan with water and bring to a boil; add 1 T salt and blanch the fresh fava beans for 2 minutes, remove from heat and add to ice water bath, use fingers to remove the outer membrane, and set aside the beans. They should be slightly firm and bright green.

Meanwhile, heat large skillet on high, add olive oil and sear the pork tenderloin on all sides after seasoning it with salt & pepper. Set Aside to rest.

Add kumquats and several tablespoons of pine nuts to the pan. Season with salt and a little pepper. Let kumquats become mostly soft or gain some color on medium heat. Cut the tenderloin into 1/2-3/4inch slices and return to pan to finish cooking. When the pork is about finished, you could add some minced tarragon or some whole sorrel leaves to wilt.

Add 1-2 T butter and 1-2 T grated parmasean to the polenta, and stir to mix. Serve pork mixture on top of polenta, with fava beans around the sides.

For two:
1/4lb pancetta, cubed
1 plantain, ripe
3 cups loose fresh spinach
butter
salt
pepper

In a skillet on high heat, fry the pancetta until mostly crisp. Add diagnoally sliced plantains and reduce heat to medium high, adding a tablespoon or so of butter. Add salt & pepper. Flip plantains after they’ve colored on one side. When they’re done, put the spinach on top and throw a lid of any size at least as big as the pan over the top, and turn off the heat. Let it sit about a minute, then toss all of it together and serve.

We ate it up with some granola with milk and fresh strawberries, and delicious Blue Bottle coffee.

A few weeks ago I joined a good friend of mine at the montessori school she works at to help with her “Friday Feast”–a cooking activity she plans every week to help teach the kids about food, cooking, and nutrition. She asked me to come in as a guest and plan the “feast,” so on a budget of $20 for 20-25 kids I brought two English cucumbers, fresh dill, chestnut honey I already had, ricotta cheese, a lime and an orange for zest, a big box of edible flowers, and all the patience I could muster.

It’s a simple palate cleanser, but is fun for kids and beautiful for adults with the edible flowers. The bites can be made more even and beautiful (by an adult), so know the picture is of the food the kids made (who were awesome and did a great job), and could be more sophisticated for a dinner party or event.

Cut the skin off the cucumber so that the sides are striped. Cut in 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch rounds. Mash the ricotta through a seive to improve the texture, add orange or lime zest to taste, plus a squeezing of the juice, a pinch of salt, and mix together. Put a spoonful of the ricotta mixture on top of each flower, dust with minced fresh dill, top with chestnut honey, and an edible flower.