Spring Hasn't Sprung

By Natalie

As rain continues to fall and temperatures refuse to rise, I've noticed that the residents of Jersey City and Manhattan are turning into zombies. Mother Nature had graced us with spring weather just about a week ago; sunshine streamed down through bare tree branches, brown grass blew in a breeze that had only a hint of a winter chill, dried brown leaves, long buried in winter's blanket, once again poked into view. Now we find that Mother Nature was only teasing. March is certainly going out like a lion, and so I remind myself of warmer weather by revisiting that amazing week where we all ditched our winter coats and lolled about in parks, pretending it was already June.

I find that when the weather first turns to spring, I am hard pressed to spend time in the kitchen cooking an elaborate meal. Without the luxury of a yard (read: grill), the thought of standing inside over a hot stove is enough to make me run screaming, or at least stare longingly out the window while my chicken burns and my pot boils over. Best to make something fast and light. And what is faster than pasta?

One of my favorite pasta dishes incorporates a blend of roasted veggies and hearty meats. Here's a quick and easy recipe that's sure to get you out and about in no time at all.

Start by slicing any vegetables you have on hand into big, chunky pieces. My favorites are red onion, acorn squash, eggplant, and peppers. Drizzle with olive oil, toss with minced garlic, coarse salt, and freshly ground pepper, and roast in a 450 degree oven for about 40 minutes. You'll want the vegetables to begin to pucker into themselves, and the edges should be nice and brown.


Meanwhile, remove some Italian sausage from its casing and crumble into a hot pan, cooking until all pieces are browned. (Cubed chicken will work for this, too!) Use the back of a wooden spoon to break up any large pieces. Add the roasted veggies and toss to combine.


While the veggies and meats cook, boil a pot of your favorite pasta, something short and thick works well for this type of dish. When it is ready, reserve 1/4 cup of the starchy water and drain. Toss all to combine, add the pasta water as needed, and top with grated parmesan cheese before serving.


You're done! Now hurry up and eat so you can go outside. Oh, wait...what's that you say? It's a torrential downpour out there? Okay, well. Better drink some beer with your pasta and hunker down until warmer days decide to grace us with their presence.