Linda's Summer Pasta with Fresh Garlic, Tomatoes, Parsley, Basil and Olive Oil—For Garlic Lovers Only

by Linda

"There are five elements—earth, air, fire, water and garlic." ~ Louis Diat

   I should advise you up front that my version of this simple pasta dish is for garlic lovers only. Not all people are as fond of garlic as I am. I made this painful discovery during my catering days which, thankfully—are way, way behind me in the rear-view mirror of my life. For example, my former acquantaince Kirk Douglas, my ex-husband and many other people that I know, do not enjoy garlic at all, and therefore, do not eat it—ever. I, on the other hand, must have had a previous life in Southern Italy and can't seem to get enough of this powerful aromatic culinary herb. For more of my musings on the health benefits of garlic and another great garlicky recipe click here.

   I learned to make this garlic extravaganza after having had a similar dish for the first time in an Italian restaurant in Solvang, California more than 20 years ago. The restaurant, now defunct, was called Paoli's—and the owner, Carlo, was a middle-aged blond man with the accent of an East Coast mafioso. Carlo was dating the local newspaper heiress at the time. I still remember that he boldly marked one of the parking spaces in front of the restaurant with her name stenciled in bold black letters across the concrete tire barrier—proclaiming it to be reserved for her exclusive use. A rather cheesy yet grandiose romantic gesture that impressed and horrified me at the same time. Carlo's pasta recipe wasn't exacty like my present day dish—it was a classic Aglio E Olio, but his recipe did serve to push me into thinking quite differently about garlic.
   When we girls were growing up, my recollections are that in our family, we were very conservative consumers of garlic in those days. I remember the garlic additions to our family menu were usually in a dry form, and the dehydrated garlic was accompanied by a liberal dose of MSG contained in the seasoning mix. So it was that on a fateful afternoon in 1992, in the dimly lit interior of Paoli's, I discovered fresh garlic used with reckless abandon in a dish could make it a revelation—something that sets fire to your soul. Now, many years down the road, garlic and I are longtime lovers.
   I only make this pasta dish in the summer, just like my Eggplant Parmigiano, when the tomatoes are really juicy and ripe—fresh out of a sun-drenched field. I purchase them from Whole Foods Market or at my local farmer's market. I still enjoy the vivid memory of the first time that I tasted the pungent garlic pasta on that fateful afternoon in the Santa Ynez Valley—so long ago now. At the time it was a revelation to my senses, and it remains so—Linda and garlic—until death do us part.

Summer Pasta with Garlic, Fresh Tomatoes, Parsley, Basil and Olive Oil

Italian Street Painting Marin and the Salvation Sister's Garlic Bread

My Traveling Tales by Linda

One of the pieces of chalk art created by Cecelia Linayao at the 
Italian Street Painting festival in San Rafael, CA. 

Cecelia nears completion of her painting on Sunday afternoon.

"And it stoned me to my soul

Stoned me just like Jelly Roll

And it stoned me

And it stoned me to my soul

Stoned me just like goin' home

And it stoned me" ~ Van Morrison 

   On a blazingly hot weekend at the end of June, I attended the Italian Street Painting Marin event held in San Rafael, California. I had a "press pass" of sorts, since I was acting on behalf of one of the corporate sponsors, Whole Foods Market, as our photographer for the event. This allowed me early access when there was less of a crowd, although I did stay throughout the day on Sunday when the site was swarming with multitudes. I was pleased to see that the community turned out in force with kids in tow to view and participate in this amazing spectacle where mind-blowingly talented artists toiled under extreme conditions for two and and half days to create giant squares of public art. Included in this post are shots that I took of the activities that progressed over the weekend.
   Most people would never know that I am an emotional person at heart, since I tend to present myself as even-keeled and level-headed most of the time. But in this venue, buoyed up by the creative spirit of those around me, I was stirred to my core. The art itself, and the conjoined efforts of the group went straight as an arrow to my soul and pierced it with joy. In my state of amazement, I wanted to laugh and burst out crying at the same time.
   The pieces of art that were created I would liken to Aboriginal, Tibetan or Native American sand paintings... created just to be destroyed. Such was the case here. Artists threw themselves into their projects with gusto and guts, knowing full well that the paintings would be washed down the local sewer by the dawn of the next day. No monetary gain to be had in this effort, just artists doing what they are compelled to do, which is to create Art. To watch it unfold before my own eyes was indeed... extra-ordinary.  In fact, the word magical comes to mind.

Misson San Rafael Archangel was the site of the Marin Italian Street Painting Event this past June.

I go crazy for red!

The Goddess of Art pours magic and inspiration onto the site of the event in this popular mural.



An Artist begins her square on Saturday morning.

I snapped this shot early in the day. Music and dancing ensued later in the afternoon.

An energetic couple loved the Zydeco and danced vigorously in spite of the mid-day heat.

   I was taken with the work of artist Joyce Rietveld who is a landscape designer when she isn't painting. She said that this was her fourth show. I was intrigued by her tree tattoo, and she was as much fun for me to photograph as the colorful amphibian that she was working on.

Chalk artist and landscape designer Joyce Rietveld.

Joyce takes a moment to pause for a smile as she braves the heat and races
against the day to complete her painting.

   In the photograph below are my co-Team Members from Whole Foods Market. Alex is a very talented painter and musician. I like his work so much in fact, that I have purchased two of his abstract oil paintings recently, which I now have hanging in my home. I had seen the preliminary sketch that he had planned for the piece, and so I was very excited to see how the painting would come together. Alex is not experienced with using pastels, so there was definitely going to be a learning curve involved. I thought he and his co-artists did an admirable job. I loved the painting of the Marin goddess of the wetlands and mountains, who can harness the power of the Sun in her strong hands. Alex said the experience was rewarding in spite of the scorching heat, and he is looking forward to next year.

My fellow Team Members at Whole Foods Market (from the left): Felipe, Alex and Ethen
get hydrated in preparation for a long and grueling day in the heat.



Artist Alex Zelnick designed and painted a piece for the Whole Foods Market sponsored square.
Alex works in the local San Rafael store.

The chalk painting wasn't quite finished when I left in the late afternoon having wilted in the heat.

Alex persevered on solo for a couple more hours until the end of the day on Sunday... the final day.

   It was so interesting and fun for me to see this rooster being created by local artist Beth Renneisen take shape from the initial graphing process through near completion. The rooster emerged from the asphalt cocky and colorful.

Artist Beth Renneisen of Fairfax, CA makes her initial sketch on Friday afternoon.

Beth gets some support on Sunday afternoon... that rooster is looking ready to crow!

   Bruno Fabriani is an experienced street painter from Verona, Italy. Street painting known as Arte dei Madonnari in Europe, has a long and illustrious history, and this is Bruno's profession:

The Italian Madonnari have been traced to the sixteenth century. They were itinerant artists, many of whom had been brought into the cities to work on the huge cathedrals. When the work was completed, they needed to find another way to make a living, and thus often would recreate the paintings from the church onto the pavement. Aware of festivals and holy days held in each province and town, they traveled to join in the festivities to make a living from observers who would throw coins if they approved of the artist's work. For centuries, many Madonnari were folk artists, reproducing simple images with crude materials such as tiles, coal, and chalk. Others, such as El Greco, would go on to become household names. ~ Wikipedia

Many of the Madonnari painted madonnas, and that is how they received the title that has traveled with them into modern times. Bruno and I did encounter a bit of a language barrier, but I was able to obtain a business card and promised to send him photos.

Bruno Fabriani attended from Italy. He is a street painter by profession where they are called Madonnari.

Madonnari's got their name from painting Madonnas.

Bruno in the late afternoon on Sunday heading toward completion of his amazing piece.

   Traditional designs from other cultures were represented:

So beautifully in its simplicity and boldness!



I was so very sorry that I didn't get to see this Lady of the Dead completed.

    Animal paintings were very popular themes:

Seeing these colorful pastels laid out on the curb made my heart glad.

I was amazed at the speed with which this painting was finished. Beautiful!

I am always a sucker for the Pre-Raphaelites. This was a beautiful reproduction.

   As fate would have it, turns out that I was to suffer for my art as well. A few days after my shooting marathon at the Italian Street Painting weekend, during which I wielded not one but two cameras, I came down with a nasty case of "camera elbow". It sounds much more benign than it actually is. My elbow was hot and swollen and I had shooting pains down into my hand. Having to wash my hair with one arm and barely being able to dress myself was no fun at all. Thankfully, I was better in just a few days, and could resume sleeping. But knowing the outcome would be the same, would I do it all again next year? The answer is this... in a heartbeat.

A little girl finishes her square in the kid's art section.