What tree am I?
Earth Day has passed and Arbor Day is fast approaching. In fact, it’s this Friday. Do you have your tree yet? In recent years, we have found ourselves with an eclectic orchard of trees transplanted from all corners of the globe, each reflecting some aspect of one member of the family’s psyche. There’s the never-fruiting avocado that Lara chose because she loves guacamole. We buy her avocados to compensate for the barren, ever-budding plant, but she loves her tree, nonetheless.
I love my tree too. Despite all chiding from my practical husband, who told me it would never grow and be a stick half the year when it dropped its leaves, I planted a tender Japanese maple right outside the kitchen window. I watch all winter, waiting for the rosy bulge at the end of dry twigs assuring me that spring will come again and the swelling burst forth into fragile serrated leaves. I love that tree, and it reminds me every day how much I love my family for helping me plant it.
There’s another family tree we love. Our puppy chose a mighty sequoia one summer when we took him to Yosemite. Just outside the park, we hitched his fuzzy, 4-pound body into a halter and took him for a short walk around an old mining town hosting a hometown fair. Laughing and twirling to the good-time sounds of a classic jug band, we failed to notice the puppy had wandered to the end of his Extendo leash and was liberally watering a row of nascent trees in 1-inch pots. There he was, teetering on three-legs to squirt another thumb-sized evergreen, when I snatched him up and, offering an apology to the proprietor who didn’t seem to care very much, I stuffed a Lincoln in the pot for charity and picked up the baptized tree. We rinsed it off in water from the Merced River and brought it home, calling it Chipper’s tree. His redwood is now just about a foot tall with a permanent kink from the hours he snoozed on top of it all the way down the highway from Yosemite.
There’s an ancient Celtic belief that we are each symbolized by a tree that expresses our innate nature, much in the way of an astrological sign. A few weeks ago, a friend sent me the Tree Oracle, asking, “What tree are you?” By their count, my husband is the maple: “no ordinary person-an original: proud, complex, shy and reserved, ambitious, wants to impress.” No wonder I love that tree! The oracle tells us that I am a mighty elm: “noble minded and cheerful, likes to lead but not to obey.” Elms are historic landmarks in Los Angeles, notably in Pershing Square. I think we should plant a tree for every member of the family this Friday, if only to do our part for the planet. Now, if only we can find a horn beam and a rowan.
NOTE: To see what tree you are, check the Web site: www.malibutimes.com/life_and_arts/
Pasta Primavera
Serves 6 – 8
This dish is actually not an Italian tradition, it originated at New York’s Le Cirque 30 years ago and it quickly became one of our family’s most popular seasonal feasts. In recent years, I’ve made it as a potluck, inviting guests to bring whatever looks good from the produce stand. Asparagus and peas are spring constants, but it doesn’t matter what vegetables you choose. Toss with any pasta that twirls to wrap around tooth-tender vegetables. Add a splash of cream, but beware-this dish will be bland until you add the crunch and forest-y flavor of toasted pine nuts and sharp aromatic herbs. Then, this pasta becomes irresistible and guests will be scraping the bowl.
1/2 lb. asparagus, trimmed and chunked
4 zucchini, trimmed and sliced
1 cup frozen baby peas, thawed
1 red pepper, trimmed and seeded, julienne
1/2 cup baby carrots, peeled and chunked
1 lb. linguine
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tsp. minced garlic
4 scallions, bulbs and tender greens, minced
1 pint grape tomatoes
4 Tbs. butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup minced fresh herbs: chives, parsley, basil
4 oz. grated Parmigiano
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts*
1. Fill a pasta pot with salted water. Parboil vegetables, one type at a time, until just tender, set aside. Start cooking linguine.
2. Heat oil in a skillet and brown mushrooms with garlic and scallions. Once they start to brown, toss in butter and tomatoes to simmer. Season with salt and pepper, adding a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes are acidic.
3. Deglaze with wine, letting most alcohol boil away. Toss linguine in a warm bowl with the reserved vegetables.
4. Heat cream with the tomatoes until thick and toss with the pasta, herbs and cheese. Season to taste and top with pine nuts. Some guests add red pepper flakes.
* Toasted pine nuts: Heat a non-stick skillet until it’s hot to your palm held six inches above the surface. Add pine nuts and toss like popcorn until they turn golden and fragrant.