0 ITEMS IN CART 
RANCH COOKIN' FOR 5
05/16/19 — Heydon Hatcher
Recipes and Photos by Megan Winfrey
Last weekend was one of those that you want to stretch on and on and on. 4 of my favorite ladies and I met up at a family ranch out in Doss, just west of Fredericksburg. We enjoyed several leisurely walks through the pastures and along the newly filled creek, lots of goats, 1 friendly horse, late night spades over mezcal cocktails, and of course an abundance of delicious food. I brought along 2 boxes of the most beautiful fresh capellini pasta made that morning by my friend Nick DeCarmine. I met him when he was making fresh pastas for Asti Trattoria, but he's since ventured out solo and started his own company called DeCarmine's Handmade. You are definitely going to want to place an order through his website and follow him on Instagram for daily pasta pics that will make you drool on your phone. Between the fresh pasta, some lemons, eggs, cheese, spices, fresh bread, and a bounty of JBG veggies and herbs, we pulled together two delicious and healthful meals - no cookbooks, no recipes. Not being tethered to a recipe is so freeing - you can riff off your friends, shake it to some tunes, and sip on that cocktail without constantly looking down or worrying about missing a step. It's the kind of cooking that's being taught over at Club Homemade, which y'all have read about in previous JBG blogs. Be sure to check them out and sign up for a class if you haven't already!
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As you'll see below, as long as you have the basics on hand like salt, pepper, butter, oil, and citrus - you don't need much else. Those few things will work together to enhance the natural flavors of your organic produce, and that's the best way to enjoy it!
Get a big pot of water going over high heat and add a generous amount of salt. Once the water reaches a rolling bubble, turn it down a bit so that it's not violently churning before adding the fresh pasta. She's delicate! Separate the noodles gently with your fingers gently drop it into the pot. Give it a stir, and check its doneness after 45 seconds. If it's not quite there, check it again at a minute, then at a minute and a half until it's al dente. Strain quickly (save some pasta water!) and toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.
In a big bowl, toss together the cooked pasta, the sautéed veggies, A LOT of parmesan cheese, some generous squeezes of fresh lemon juice, and about 1/2 - 1 cup of pasta water. Gorgeous.
Slice some squash or zucchini into 1/2 inch rounds. Season with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika (or whatever spices you fancy) and bake in the oven at 350 until tender.
The first of the summer tomatoes have started to emerge, and I couldn't resist! Slice tomatoes and fresh mozzarella and gather some fresh basil from the garden or wherever you can. Make stacks of tomato, basil, mozzarella, then more basil and top with balsamic vinegar if you have it or just humble salt and pepper.
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Shred a bundle or two of carrots, maybe 10-15, into a bowl. Add a generous amount of fresh lemon juice, chopped dill, a couple dashes of soy sauce and a sprinkle of sugar and a bit of salt. Yum.
Peel and thinly slice a few kohlrabi bulbs. Mandoline recommended. Spread onto a plate and drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.
Recreate the kale + veggie sauté from supper, add some soy sauce, leave out the pasta. (or not)
Butter and toast some fresh sourdough bread.
Greek yogurt makes everything better. Add it to bites of egg on toast and forkfuls of carrot slaw.
Fresh fruit never hurt anyone!
Coffee/tea/mimosas/micheladas are always recommended.
![]()
Last weekend was one of those that you want to stretch on and on and on. 4 of my favorite ladies and I met up at a family ranch out in Doss, just west of Fredericksburg. We enjoyed several leisurely walks through the pastures and along the newly filled creek, lots of goats, 1 friendly horse, late night spades over mezcal cocktails, and of course an abundance of delicious food. I brought along 2 boxes of the most beautiful fresh capellini pasta made that morning by my friend Nick DeCarmine. I met him when he was making fresh pastas for Asti Trattoria, but he's since ventured out solo and started his own company called DeCarmine's Handmade. You are definitely going to want to place an order through his website and follow him on Instagram for daily pasta pics that will make you drool on your phone. Between the fresh pasta, some lemons, eggs, cheese, spices, fresh bread, and a bounty of JBG veggies and herbs, we pulled together two delicious and healthful meals - no cookbooks, no recipes. Not being tethered to a recipe is so freeing - you can riff off your friends, shake it to some tunes, and sip on that cocktail without constantly looking down or worrying about missing a step. It's the kind of cooking that's being taught over at Club Homemade, which y'all have read about in previous JBG blogs. Be sure to check them out and sign up for a class if you haven't already!
As you'll see below, as long as you have the basics on hand like salt, pepper, butter, oil, and citrus - you don't need much else. Those few things will work together to enhance the natural flavors of your organic produce, and that's the best way to enjoy it!
Supper
Chop a few fennel bulbs, a couple small onions, a few cloves of garlic, some green onions, and a handful of parsley. Sauté in a tablespoon or two of butter over low heat until soft and translucent.Get a big pot of water going over high heat and add a generous amount of salt. Once the water reaches a rolling bubble, turn it down a bit so that it's not violently churning before adding the fresh pasta. She's delicate! Separate the noodles gently with your fingers gently drop it into the pot. Give it a stir, and check its doneness after 45 seconds. If it's not quite there, check it again at a minute, then at a minute and a half until it's al dente. Strain quickly (save some pasta water!) and toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.
In a big bowl, toss together the cooked pasta, the sautéed veggies, A LOT of parmesan cheese, some generous squeezes of fresh lemon juice, and about 1/2 - 1 cup of pasta water. Gorgeous.
Slice some squash or zucchini into 1/2 inch rounds. Season with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika (or whatever spices you fancy) and bake in the oven at 350 until tender.
The first of the summer tomatoes have started to emerge, and I couldn't resist! Slice tomatoes and fresh mozzarella and gather some fresh basil from the garden or wherever you can. Make stacks of tomato, basil, mozzarella, then more basil and top with balsamic vinegar if you have it or just humble salt and pepper.
Breakfast
Scramble up about a dozen eggs in a large bowl and add lots of chopped dill, parsley, basil. some salt and pepper. Add a couple pats of butter to a large skillet and heat over medium-low. Once the butter melts, pour in the eggs and stir, cooking slowly, until soft scrambled. Cut off the heat but let the eggs rest in the pan to harden up just a bit more before serving.Shred a bundle or two of carrots, maybe 10-15, into a bowl. Add a generous amount of fresh lemon juice, chopped dill, a couple dashes of soy sauce and a sprinkle of sugar and a bit of salt. Yum.
Peel and thinly slice a few kohlrabi bulbs. Mandoline recommended. Spread onto a plate and drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.
Recreate the kale + veggie sauté from supper, add some soy sauce, leave out the pasta. (or not)
Butter and toast some fresh sourdough bread.
Greek yogurt makes everything better. Add it to bites of egg on toast and forkfuls of carrot slaw.
Fresh fruit never hurt anyone!
Coffee/tea/mimosas/micheladas are always recommended.
