At this point in the season, oregano and chives are still my only outside herbs, although I’ve still got some pretty lush basil growing inside under lights. The garden is providing some collards and kale that overwintered, and we’ll have our first harvest of that tonight. I’m thinking a quick stir in some hot olive oil with the chives should do it for greens that young and tender.

The basil and oregano cry out pasta sauce, and I remember seeing a recipe for penne pasta with chicken and broccoli that I should have the ingredients for. I think I’ll cube some boneless chicken breasts, dredge that in cornstarch, and fry those with some garlic and onions. Add the broccoli florets, oregano and a couple cans of chopped tomatoes, and cover and simmer until the broccoli is right and the chicken finishes cooking, while boiling the pasta. Ribbons of basil will get added at the last minute when the penne and sauce are combined.

I’ve got some refrigerated crescent rolls, and I think we’ll have the chives do double duty, sprinkling a fine chop of them onto the dough before rolling them up and baking. That may be excessive, but it’s been a long winter, and I’m raring to play with my herbs.