We had the pleasure last night of having dinner here at our house with our dear friend, Sophia Bracy Harris, co-founder and executive director of FOCAL (Federation of Child Care Centers of Alabama). For the past couple of decades, Sophia, a MacArthur Genius award recipient, has provided women with the skills to rise out of poverty. By-products: children with access to quality day-care while their parents can work. Over the years, Sophia's organization has developed programs that build community, dissolve racism, and develop leadership in both adults and teens.
As a young high school student in the segregated US South, Sophia was one of the first children to integrate Alabama schools. Her family's home was firebombed.
We met Sophia in 1991 when she joined the Calvert Social Investment Fund Advisory Council, where we'd been members for a decade. I was immediately impressed with Sophia as a systems thinker and a calm presence in contentious conversations, which we had a few of over the years at the Advisory Council (which, to its members' disappointment, was disbanded in 2006).
When Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, the first person I thought of was Sophia. Many of her FOCAL clients live in areas still devastated by the hurricane. With Reed Montague, a talented staff person at Calvert, I helped mount a fund drive for FOCAL's Katrina Fund. A fair amount (never enough) money poured in quickly, providing insurance deductibles and the like for those with lives irreparably altered by Katrina.
FOCAL celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. Family, friends, and colleagues: please click here.
And, enjoy this. Tania Burger, who serves as Organization Developer for FOCAL, brought dinner to our house (the best of guests), so delicious that Pasta Lover asked Tania to share the recipe:
Creamy Fettuccine with Prosciutto, Asparagus, Mushrooms, and Peas
6 servings
Bon Appétit
8 oz thin asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1/2 -inch lengths
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 1/4–inch slices
8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
1 cup whipping cream
16 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lb fettuccine I use less.
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 oz) I use a little more.
Cook asparagus in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to bowl; set aside. Reserve water in pot.
Melt butter in large skillet over medium-low heat. Add prosciutto and stir 1 minute. Add mushrooms and sauté until golden, about 3 minutes. Add asparagus, peas and cream and simmer until cream is reduced by 1/3, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat. Mix in cherry tomatoes.
Note:I like my veggies more crisp and less cooked. After sautéing the mushrooms, I add the cream alone and reduce it. Just before combining the cooked pasta with the sauce, I heat the sauce and add the asparagus and peas. Then I mix the pasta and sauce, add the cheese, and then add the cherry tomatoes. Season.
Bring reserved water in pot to boil. Add pasta and cook until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Add pasta to skillet with sauce and toss to coat over low heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese. Transfer to large bowl; sprinkle with chives and serve.
