Chive Flowers

I've been waiting all week for the wonderful little purple buds on my chives to bloom. Tonight I lost my patience and snipped all the pretty flowers away that had bloomed and kept my fingers crossed that more would soon fill the empty space. After giving them the once over for bugs, I added them to this super tasty pasta dish.


Chive Flower Penne with Peas
serves 2

1/2 lb penne
1 cup frozen peas
2 large cloves of garlic
1/2 C heavy cream
2 tbsp butter
1-2 tsp olive oil
handful of Parmesan
handful chive flowers
handful of chives, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Salt and boil the water for the pasta and cook according to the box directions. Melt butter in a medium skillet and add a splash of olive oil. Add the finely chopped garlic cloves and cook until softened and fragrant. Add the cream and cheese then combine. Add the peas and chives. Let it simmer for a bit on really low heat just to let the chive flavor incorporate. Add more chives if you feel it doesn't have enough of the nice sweet onion flavor. When the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the sauce with a tiny bit of the pasta water. Stir in the chive flowers at the very end and there you have it.

Molecular Gastronomy a la Toothpaste For Dinner