Fettucine with Kale Pesto, Artichokes, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Mushrooms

This is the spoon that launched a feast. A feast—and feat—of six and a half dishes, consumed by five dinner party-ers, across a stretch of five hours. I think The Phantom Tollbooth's Mathemagician would approve. But in any case, the verdant dregs you seen on this spoon are a key component to the main meal: a dish of fettucine, enveloped in kale pesto and incorporated with a melange of artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, and sauteéd mushrooms. And the spoon itself? A gift from one friend and neighbor to another. A gift inviting the creation of something warm and delicious, which coaxes us away from our work and worries to gather us around one table.
In writing this, it has occurred to me that spoons factor quite significantly in a number of life's more important dishes. My mother's roughly-forged bread spoon has cast its spell on many a dough. Macaroni and Cheese is, I contend, most appropriately eaten with a spoon. Even milkshakes I prefer spooning up to slurping up—although there is a time and place for slurping. I even recently attended a student art show that showcased an entire exhibit celebrating a student's obsession with spoons, manifested through a cupboard of whittled utensils. I certainly have an appreciation for, if not an obsession with, the spoon. And in this recipe; you get to use spoons twice: first to shuffle the mushrooms through their vinegar and oil mixture, and a second time to mix together pesto and pasta.

To ease up the process of putting this all together, I made the pesto the evening before and let it percolate in the fridge, prepping and finishing the pasta the following day. But you could make it just prior to preparing the other ingredients, or substitute pre-made basil pesto if you're pressed for time. The mushrooms require a quick sauté, and the rest of the recipe is a chop here and a stir there. Boil the pasta right as you're getting ready to eat. I suggest adding the pesto to the noodles alone before finishing with the vegetables. This gives you a giant pot of bright, green-flecked pasta, every strand of fettucine fully coated. And each bite might offer something different: smooth-textured mushrooms, briny artichokes, searingly tangy sun-dried tomatoes, or a combination thereof. Share with friends in generous portions or pack away in the fridge and freezer. It will take a while to reach the bottom of the pot—which is, I think, how pasta recipes should be.

Pesto adapted from Shutterbean's Kale Walnut Pesto
Fettucine with Kale Pesto, Mushrooms, Artichokes and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Ingredients:
For kale pesto:
1 bunch kale, leaves torn into rough pieces
2 cloves of garlic, roasted
Lemon juice squeezed from 1/2 medium lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

For pasta
1 8-oz. package crimini mushrooms
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper
2 8-oz. jars marinated artichokes
2/3 cup dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes
2 lb. fettucine (or pasta of your choice)

optional, but never a bad idea: grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
--Make pesto. Cook kale in a small amount of water on medium heat until the leaves have wilted. Run under cold water until leaves are cool to the touch, and then use your hands to squeeze the excess water out. Add kale, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil to a food processor.* Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pesto can be refrigerated overnight or used immediately.
-Slice mushrooms into thirds. Heat olive oil  in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms' liquid has been released and then evaporated. Pour balsamic vinegar into pan along with salt and pepper, and cook a couple minutes more, until the vinegar has been absorbed.
--Chop artichoke and sun-dried tomato pieces into halves. Add to a bowl with the mushrooms and set aside.
--Prepare pasta according to the package (mine cooked in a large pot of boiling water for about 8 minutes). Drain noodles in a colander and place in the bowl you'll be using to serve the pasta. Scoop pesto onto the noodles and mix until the strands are evenly coated. Add chopped vegetables to the bowl. If desired, serve with cheese.

*Note: I used a blender, and the process of breaking down the kale to the right consistency did not go well, as the blades simply could not reach all the leaves. A food processor, which is what Shutterbean's recipe recommends but is not yet a kitchen apparatus I own, really is the tool you'll want to use.