Linguini with Broccoli Rabe Pesto, Oregano, and Peppers

Andrew Carmellini: Urban Italian; Day 1; Recipe 1

A colorful dish with as much flavor as you would expect. The taste was hearty, green, spicy, gritty (from the bread crumbs), and consonant. Lisa bought the fresh oregano but forgot to include it with so much else going on. The pesto was made of broccoli rabe, which was novel from my perspective and it worked well. I put on extra bread crumbs and Parmigiano-Reggiano because it was tastier that way. One thing I have learned is that sometimes a dish tastes like it is restaurant quality, and that is a strange thing to think about a home cooked meal, and while it sounds like a compliment I am not so sure about that. This was one of those. The meal tasted very good, I ate quickly and had fun with this new experience. Because the dish does not at all resemble what Lisa usually makes and because it had so many textures and flavors working so well together it was a nice experience. But while I am glad to have had this, and will look forward to the leftovers tomorrow, I do not see us turning back to it -- for no good reason. There just wasn't the spark that was necessary. We're off to a good start, though.