informal dinner

There were five for dinner on a blisteringly hot evening, so I decided on a room-temperature supper. There were gorgeous, fat bunched of swiss chard at the farmers market, thus the dish I would prepare. I heated a generous amount of olive oil in a large skillet, just until it shimmered. I added five sizable garlic cloves and let them perfume the oil for about five minutes, then removed them. I added the chard which I'd washed and spun dry (in a pillowcase on the spin cycle of the washer), then roughly chopped. While it was softening I drained a can of chickpeas, and added them, along with the zest of a lemon. Next, quite a lot of baby spinach, followed by grape tomatoes. I tossed this melange with a pound of tri-color farfalle, and the zest of an additional lemon. It looked gorgeous in its shallow round bowl, and I sprinkled ricotta salata over it, then sat it on the counter, to be served tepid. With this, baby wax beans from a friend's farm and crusty bread. Dessert, an indulgently rich chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream. Contentment reigned.