Pasta Primavera

“I’m just someone who likes cooking and for whom sharing food is a form of expression.” – Maya Angelou

This recipe brought back memories of Italy, not only because it is a pasta dish but because of one of the herbs I used in the dish. While in Milan I had a dish called , “Ravioli a la Borragine” that has stayed with me because of its flavor and sense of comfort. Through a contact at Mill No 5 I found “Borrage” here and decided to start using it to experiment a little. This first recipe I used it in is a simple red sauce filled with vegetables and spices. It was rich and delightful but also quite light.

You could easily make this sauce vegan or vegetarian by omitting the ground chicken- it is so good that I had two servings and we still have plenty left over. Having people over? Make this- its a great dish that makes enough for several people and is hearty enough to be labeled “comfort food.”

Cooking for me is more than just making something to eat- its one of the ways in which I show myself, how I express the artistic side of myself and when I can find something that makes my dishes pop I hoard as much as I can. Borrage isn’t necessarily hard to find as it grows easily once planted; if you have access to local gardens see if they are growing it!

Hope you all like this recipe! Let me know in the comments 🙂

Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:

4 Borrage Leaves (roughly chopped)

1 lb Ground Chicken

1 Tsp Sweet Basil

Dash of salt

1 Yellow Pepper (chopped)

1 Medium Zucchini (chopped)

1.5 Cups of Diced Mushrooms

28 oz Can of Crushed Tomatoes w/Basil

14.5 oz Can of Diced Tomatoes w/Roasted Garlic

1 Tsp Garlic Powder (use 4 Fresh Garlic Cloves to substitute)

1 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper

1 Fresh Tomato (roughly Chopped)

Olive Oil (for sauce and to cook ground chicken)

2 Tbs Parmesan Cheese

Instructions:

In a frying pan pour in roughly 2 Tbs of Olive oil and sweet basil, add chicken and salt. Cook until browned. While that’s cooking, in a separate pan (deep preferably) add 2-3 Tbs of Olive oil and garlic powder or fresh garlic. Throw in fresh tomato and borrage leaves-stir. Add vegetables and crushed red pepper. Cook until coated and slightly tender. Add the meat, canned tomatoes and Parmesan. Stir in; once boiling turn down heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.