Yesterday was the opening day of the Portland Farmer’s Market. It could not have been a more perfect day–the sun was shining, the air was fragrant and heated by the sun, and the farmer’s market itself has doubled in size since last year. I got their right as it opened and there were swarms of market-goers already shopping. It was amazing! I also had a field day with my camera–taking pictures of food is like a never ending story or an incredible meal. I could not get enough! I brought home with me two varieties of raab (or rapini), home made pappardelle noodles, fresh farmers goat cheese, line-caught from the ocean smoked salmon, fresh kale (but of course), and a crepe from my favorite crepe-man. The sweet tastes of a successful trip to the farmers market! I took quite a few pictures to give you a slice of this wonderful market, so you can have a taste too…

(This cheese farmer, looking a little worn out and weary, was telling one of his customers how he spent the whole night delivering twin goats. This is one of the best aspects to the market, knowing the sources of and faces behind your food!)

It’s days like yesterday that make me so thankful, so refreshed, so alive. Having the market back, filling my bag with an abundance of goodness, running into friends at each turn, and reconnecting with the vendors with a happy grin and a hearty “welcome back!” were all woven into my market day experience. So good! Below is a recipe for an excellent pasta dish I made with my homemade pasta from the market. It has a wonderful garlic flavor infused into the olive oil it was baked in and the mushrooms gave it lovely body. Great with a crisp rose or lemony sauvignon blanc.

Olive Oil, Garlic, Mushroom Pappardelle

2 whole heads of garlic (medium sized) olive oil fresh pasta–the wide noodle of the pappardelle was really nice but you could use fettucini noodles as well 10-12 whole fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

Take apart the heads of garlic so the cloves are separated. To get the skin off, use the side of your large knife–put a clove or two under the side of it and with your palm, press down until you hear a “crunch”. The clove will have been crushed and the skins are super easy to pull off now. Fill a 2-cup baking dish (like one you’d use for creme brulee) with the cloves and then fill with olive oil until the cloves are covered. Cover with a double-layer of foil and bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Boil your fresh pasta for only 1-4 minutes. If it is from the box, follow the directions on the box/bag for how long to cook it. The fresher it is, the less time you need to boil it.

Using some of the olive oil from the garlic, put it into a frying pan and toss the sliced mushrooms into it. Cook until tender.

Using the same pan with a little more garlic olive oil, toss some greens onto it to sautee as a side dish. I used one of the rapini’s–it was excellent.

Then, toss together the rest of the olive oil, garlic, and mushrooms with the pasta. Serve with fresh grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese, enjoy!