Sometimes I take the easy route — not often, but tonight was one occasion.  Supper was a simple affair: Bobby Flay’s version of a Grilled Asparagus Panzanella Salad and some leftover spaghetti enlivened with a few fresh vegetables and legumes.  I had downloaded one of Bobby Flay’s cookbooks to my iPad awhile ago, but had not looked at it in some time.  Last night I decided to upgrade from iOS 5 directly to iOS 7.0.2 on my old iPad, and while I was testing things out after the upgrade, I ran across the recipe.  Tonight, after Sarah and the grandsons left, I decided to make it, since I had all the ingredients.  Below is the Internet version of what was in the cookbook.  One adaptation: I used one yellow heirloom tomato and one fresh San Marzano from the farmer’s market, instead of the cherry tomatoes.

The other dish was pasta.  Barbara had made a good whole wheat spaghetti dish last night, with just garlic, parsley and oil, and we had about a pint left over.  To fill out the dish, I first sautéed a chopped celery stalk and one diced leek in olive oil with salt and pepper.  As the leek was beginning to brown, I added a 1/4 cup of white wine and cooked it down almost completely, then added a handful of Cavolo Nero (already boiled and chopped), plus about a cup of Chef Paul’s black-eyed peas in broth with a little tomato and cooked kale.  With all the vegetables simmering away in the sauté pan, I threw in the leftover spaghetti and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, heated it all up and served.

Red wine or white would work with this meal.  You also know I am predominantly a red-wine guy.  However, variety is the spice of life, so I selected another of Jan D’Amore’s gems, a Lazio Occhipinti wine made from red Aleatico grapes — but vinified as a white wine (vinificato in bianco).  The wine is appropriately named Alter Ego.  Unusual, bright, and delicious — also a good counterpoint to all the vinegar in the Panzanella.