No. 307: Bucatini with Creamy Tomato Pan Sauce; Strawberry Cake & Ice Cream; Scallops Two Ways
Plus: The West Tisbury Farmers' Market opens on Saturday!
🍅 🍝 Keeping It Simple
Proof that Instagram marketing works (or at least works on me!), I watched a video of Katie Leaird delivering her fresh pasta to North Tisbury Farm and Market the other day and promptly got in my car to go fetch some. I didn’t realize that North Tisbury Farm was fully open for the season, so I was happy to poke around the cute shop and admire the Maison Villatte bread, the olive oils, the wonderful cheese selection and more.
But first I went straight to the fridge and grabbed…the last box of Katie’s pasta! At least for that day. She’ll be delivering there all summer, as well as to the Chilmark General Store and Edgartown Meat and Fish. I was terribly happy to see that the box I got was filled with bucatini — hollow-tubed pasta that’s just fun to eat. It’s hard enough to find dried bucatini, but fresh is a rare treat.
I knew I wanted to do something simple with it, and I had a bowl of grape tomatoes on my counter and some herbs I’d just brought in from the garden. I’m obsessed with mint this year for some reason; I don’t care that it runs rampant all around the edges of my garden. And I’m also happy I was able to grow parsley from seed saved from last year — it took a long time to germinate, but it happened. A first for me. My basil is still tiny, so I’ll take these spring herbs. It’s such a relief not to have to spend $5 on a few measly sprigs at the grocery store.
My mind jumped to pink sauce and I decided I could probably do a quick riff on it by sautéing the grape tomatoes (halved) until collapsed and juicy, adding garlic and a splash of balsamic, and finishing with a few tablespoons of heavy cream (and herbs and Parmigiano, of course). Turns out this Fresh Bucatini with Creamy Tomato Pan Sauce was even easier and tastier than I predicted. We used half of the bucatini the first night, so were “forced” to repeat the recipe the next.
I considered adding a bit of minced anchovy or chopped kalamata olives — and you could certainly do that. Or you could garnish with salami crisps or sauté a bit of finely chopped pancetta at the start. But we liked the simplicity and flavor of the minimal ingredients.
I hope you are proud of me that I did NOT roast the grape tomatoes for this recipe, since I am so fond of doing that. But I can’t move on without mentioning that you could certainly use that fresh bucatini in Spaghetti with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Spicy Garlic Oil if you had a little extra time.
🍓🍓🍓 They’re here!
I just learned today that Fire Cat Farm will have their freshly picked strawberries on Saturday at opening day of the West Tisbury Farmers’ Market at the Ag Society! They expect to have them for the Wednesday market the following week, too. Hurrah! Not only that, but Nina Levin of Ophelia’s Sweet Treats (that adorable yellow camper) will have soft serve strawberry ice cream at the market, too — made from Fire Cat’s strawberries.
If you miss that, you can make your own strawberry ice cream at home. I cannot make it through strawberry season without making a batch of this.
But when I get ahold of some of those berries this weekend, I will probably start the (official) strawberry season off by making Abby Dodge’s No-Bake Strawberry Cream Cheese Icebox Cake. I fell in love with that when I made it last year. We’ll be highlighting more strawberry desserts next week.
👩🏽🍳 Scallops, Clams, Mussels
I thought shellfish might be nice for the dinner menu this week. Mussels are budget-friendly, and I like this recipe for Mussel Salad with Baby Greens and Garlic Croutons by Cathy Walthers. And we have a nice variety of mussel recipes in the archive.
Obviously, I have tomato pan sauce on the brain, so my favorite preparation for clams might be up next. I just need to decide whether I make the original recipe, Oven-Roasted Clams in a Garlicky Tomato Pan Sauce, or whether I make the variation with linguine. Or maybe bucatini!
If you want to treat yourself to sea scallops, you could try Tina Miller’s Seared Sea Scallops with Spring Peas, Leeks, and Prosciutto.
Or you could follow my method for pan-seared sea scallops.
You could serve those with Sautéed Asparagus with Prosciutto Crisps and Parmigiano (but skip the mashed potatoes pictured above).
They would also work well on a bed of this Shiitake and Spinach Sauté with Parmigiano. A Bibb, Pea, and Bacon Salad with Buttermilk Dressing would be a perfect side for any of these preparations.
I hope you find some inspiring ingredients this week. Happy cooking! As always, if you have a question, leave a comment here or feel free to email us at cookthevineyard@vineyardgazette.com.
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— Susie Middleton, editor
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🍽️ What’s happening around the Island
📆 News & Events
The West Tisbury Farmers’ Market returns for the season on Saturday, June 7, from 9 a.m. until noon. The first Wednesday market is June 11, 9 a.m. to noon.
North Tabor Farm is piloting a Monday night pizza pickup program starting Monday, June 9. Pre-ordering will be online and will close at noon on that Monday.
Beetlebung Farm will have bagels for sale on Saturday mornings, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. or until sold out.
There’s still time to sign up for a share in the Community Supported Fishery program from the Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust. Pick-ups are monthly at the West Tisbury Farmers’ Market.
🥕 Farm Stands, Early Summer Schedules
Ghost Island Farm is open every day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Beetlebung Farm is open Wednesday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Morning Glory Farm is open daily, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Grey Barn’s farm stand is open Thursday to Monday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
North Tabor Farm’s farm stand is open daily, dawn to dusk.
Mermaid Farm is always open!
🐟 Seafood Markets
The Fish House at the airport is open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Net Result in Vineyard Haven is open Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Larsen’s Fish Market in Menemsha is open daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Menemsha Fish Market is open Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
Edgartown Seafood is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
🎧 Listen to On the Vineyard from the Vineyard Gazette
The new On the Vineyard podcast from the Vineyard Gazette is deeply rooted in the sense of place the Vineyard evokes, with reports on local happenings, events large and small, and, of course, food and restaurants. The weekly podcast has sounds from the Island both present (i.e. Memorial Day celebrations) and past (archival voices). Listen here or anywhere you get your podcasts.
Photos: Nina Levin, Jeanna Shepard; sea scallops with peas, Tina Miller; The Maker, Ray Ewing; all others, Susie Middleton.
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Yum! I also love doing a spicy nduja sauce in my pasta
Such a delicious time of year! I noticed you did not mention John’s seafood market in the roundup.
We have been getting wonderful fish dinners there lately - huge portions and well-prepared (and not just fried versions). A great value. I also made some swordfish they had. Exceptionally fresh.