Vegetable Volunteers
By Rev. Patrick Teverbaugh
"Innumerable labors brought us this food, we should know how it comes to us."
(from our meal chant)
A couple of months ago I noticed some greenery popping up in the corner of my vegetable garden. It looked so vigorous and energetic, that I decided to let it grow and see what it became. It turned out it was a few vines of cherry tomatoes that were volunteering on their own. In other parts of the garden I had planted vegetables, weeded and watered. But here was the universe all on its own deciding to nourish me, without any effort on my part. What a lesson in the profound, incomprehensible interrelatedness of all things!
When I first started practicing, I wasn't looking to cultivate a spiritual teacher, or find a tradition of liberation. I thought I just wanted to quiet my mind. But after a while, I valued my interactions with other Sangha members, I looked forward to the classes that were offered, and I developed a relationship with Katherine. Almost incomprehensibly I became aware of a deepening connection to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
Suzuki Roshi said, "If you stand out in the mist too long, you are bound to get wet."
Recipe for aglio aioli, serves two:
4 oz of pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
Four cloves of garlic, sliced not minced
One teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt to your taste
One cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
3 tablespoons chop't fresh basil, or other herbs
Boil the pasta until al dente, not quite done. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water and drain the al dente pasta, setting aside.
In the same pot that formerly held the pasta, heat the olive oil on low heat. Add the garlic and the pepper flakes, sauteing slowly and gently so as not to burn the garlic. When the garlic becomes aromatic, add back in the pasta and the reserved pasta water. Stir in the cherry tomatoes, add some salt. Cook and stir for another couple of minutes until the sauce becomes thicker and the pasta becomes more tender. Then fold in the basil / herbs. Adjust the salt.