Pasta With Green Puttanesca

Published: May 27, 2011

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Time: 20 minutes
Related

A Good Appetite: Puttanesca Sauce Dressed for Spring (June 1, 2011)

Kosher salt, to taste

1 pound spaghettini or spaghetti

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

10 anchovy fillets

1/4 cup drained capers

1 cup pitted and sliced green Cerignola or Picholine olives

10 fat green garlic cloves, peeled, sliced 1/4-inch thick (or use 8 regular garlic cloves)

1/3 cup chopped scallions including greens

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

12 cups baby spinach leaves (11 ounces)

1/2 cup torn basil leaves.

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until it is not quite al dente, 5 to 8 minutes. Reserve a cup of cooking water, then drain the pasta.

2. While the pasta is cooking, warm 1/4 cup of oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the anchovies and capers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the capers start to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup oil, olives, garlic, scallions and red pepper flakes; increase heat to high if using green garlic (leave it at medium high for regular garlic) and cook until garlic is golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the pasta and toss for 1 minute. Add a splash of pasta cooking water if the pasta seems dry. Season with salt, if necessary. Toss in the basil leaves.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

baked bell peppers

we were going to go out. then i thought of the food to use in the fridge that's perfectly fine, and so i created.

i baked four hollowed peppers for 15 minutes at 380. drained them and stuffed them with the following mixture.

one small onion, halved and thinly sliced, browed well in olive oil
added 1/2 to 3/4 c. of orzo or cousous
added stock, salt and pepper, and cooked till the orzo was done.
added some garbanzo beans that i'd cooked
one large minced garlic clove
several springs of basil, ribboned
feta

topped the peppers with cream cheese and onion/chives. bake in over for 20 more minutes.

this will be dinner as we watch a netflix. i also am baking leftover artichoke dried tomato dip from the wedding, and we will scoop that up with blue corn tortilla chips.

Spring Pasta Recipe

I used thin, egg noodles here, but spaghetti, angel hair, or fettuccine would all work as well.

8 ounces / 225 g cooked, leftover pasta
2 eggs
fine grain sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 big handfuls of sliced asparagus, and/or pea shoots, or tiny broccoli trees, or shredded greens - anything quick cooking and fresh

chopped avocado
chopped herbs

Use your fingers to fluff up the leftover pasta a bit, so its not clumpy or stuck together. Set aside.

In a small bowl crack the eggs and beat them really well with a pinch of salt.

In a big skillet melt the oil and butter over medium high heat. If you're using a vegetable that might take longer to cook than others, add those to the pan - for example, asparagus or broccoli. Add a couple pinches of salt, stir, cover, and cook for a couple minutes. Until the vegetables are bright, and just cooked. Now stir in anything that just needs a quick flash of cooking - in this case pea greens, but chopped greens would go in at this point if you're using those. Stir, and cook just until tender - a minute or so. Pull about 1/3 of the vegetables out of the pan and set them aside.

Now, add the pasta to the skillet, and toss well. Once the pasta is hot, turn down the heat, wait a moment, then quickly stir in the eggs. Stir well, then cover the pan, remove from heat, and let everything sit for a minute. Uncover, give everything another toss, the egg should be cooked through. Taste, and adjust the seasoning before dividing between two plates. Top with the reserved vegetables, and some chopped avocado.

Serves 2.

Prep time: 5 min - Cook time: 5 min