Say whaaaaat?
It’s strawberry season here in South Cackalacki! Did yall experience a terrible thunderstorm last night? It was nuts here! There was so much lightning, I woke up at 4:25 a.m. thinking I was starring in a Kanye West video. Lucy said she was surprised she didn’t have an epileptic fit! Haha.
Despite the crazy weather, today was absolutely gorgeous, and a perfect day for strawberry picking. I called Amanda to see if she’d be interested in going, and lucky for me, she was! We met at Boone Hall farms and started picking right away. There were plenty of strawberries so we didn’t have to dig that much.
This picture just makes me laugh. Cousin Itt!? Where is my face?
Less than 30 minutes later, my bucket was almost full and I desperately needed a hairbrush.
I picked over 3 1/2 pounds and only paid $5.81 for all of it. Local and cheeeeeeeeap.
After we finished picking, I stopped by the Boone Hall Farms store.
They carry fresh meat, produce, flowers, and canned jams, jellies, salad dressings and more. My eyes immediately darted to a ton of pickled vegetables.
I wanted to buy the entire store, but left with these instead. The pickles have cinnamon in them. Lime juice, cinnamon and pickles = three of my favorite things. Lucy said, “Omg. That’s your life in a jar.”
Once home, I made a really interesting dish with my fresh strawberries!
Spaghetti with Strawberries, adapted from Sfoglia Restaurant, NYC
Ingredients:
- 12 oz. spaghetti (I actually used bucatini tonight.)
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb. strawberries, halved
- 2-3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup San Marzano tomato puree
- 4 oz. reserved pasta water
- sea salt & ground pepper to taste
- goat cheese, for topping
Preparation:
- Cook the pasta according to directions on package.
- In a large sauté pan, warm the olive oil and half of the strawberries over medium heat. Cook until the strawberries start to release juice. Add balsamic and reduce by half.
- Add tomato purée, the rest of the strawberries, and the reserved pasta water, and reduce by half again until the sauce thickens. Season to taste.
- Toss with spaghetti. Crumble goat cheese on top.
As odd as this recipe may sound, it is really, really good. The strawberries begin to caramelize and sweeten which balances out the tomatoes and balsamic. And goat cheese makes everything better! I highly recommend this easy recipe and am sure that I’ll be making it again.
Please share your favorite strawberry recipes!!
XX!
