Monday, July 27, 2009

Pasta you can't possibly regret eating

I loooove pasta. Beyond belief love it. I could eat it all day long, but that would obviously be a bad thing, given so many carbs.

Good thing for me, I developed my own seriously good for you pasta recipe years ago that I can eat any time and as often as I'd like, given how healthy it is. I also love that it changes every time I make it, depending on what's in season and in my fridge. Great way to use your backyard or farmer's market veggies!

The roots in this particular pasta, I must confess, started with an old and dear friend, Phil, though my version(s) are quite different (wanted to include full disclosure!).

I don't actually have precise measurements - make this in the volume you're used to/need for yourself and/or your family. The magic comes in what you add, not the pasta noodles or the base sauce (which you can make yourself using your own recipe or your favorite store/artisanal sauce).

So, without further ado:

Whole wheat linguine
Your own homemade sauce, or your favorite store bought, farmer's market, etc. sauce
Local, organic, fresh veggies

Accoutrements like:
  • marinated olives (I love fat local olives marinated in lemon and garlic)
  • capers
  • toasted pinenuts (trust me - delish)
  • cooked beans (lentils, garbanzo/chickpeas, scarlet runner beans or fava are particular faves for me)
  • cheese (my faves are crumbled feta cheese or shaved parmesan)
  • mushrooms (grilled portabello all chopped up, sauted or fresh crimini, etc.)
Fresh herbs:
  • basil leaves (roll up like a cigar, slice very very thinly)
  • chopped up italian flat leaf parsley
  • whatever else you have on hand that you love
Meat (optional):
  • turkey meatballs or crumbled ground turkey, cooked
  • artisanal sausages, sliced thin (you can almost always find delicious sausages at your local farmer's market)
  • clams, shrimp or other shellfish (fully cooked)
A few extra spices/flavorings:
  • Red chili flakes, to taste
  • Fresh cracked pepper
  • A few crushed cloves of garlic
  • Lemon or orange zest (trust me, but don't use too much)
  • A splash of fresh lemon juice (really brightens things up)
So, cook your pasta, and if you're including veggies that need a blanching, add them to your pasta water for the last 30-45 seconds of cooking. Drain the whole pot, and immediately toss with lots of really good extra virgin olive oil. Add you extra spices and flavorings, give it a good toss, then your veggies, again toss. Add your meat/shellfish, toss. Finally, your sauce. You can add your cheese now or later when you serve.

I made this last night with an organic (but store bought sauce), whole wheat linguine, parmesan, pepper, chile flakes, parsley, asparagus, zucchini and baby patty pan squash. Delish! I often enjoy over a bed or arugula or spinach, and have been known to add quinoa before adding the sauce.

Now I'm hungry for more! I hope you enjoy this if you try it out. :)

4 comments:

heather jane said...

Have you any idea how envious I am that you have LOCAL olives? Seriously!!! And citrus. What I wouldn't do for a few citrus trees in my back yard.

This is a frequent meal at our house...pasta ala Phil(now me). It's all about the fridge clean out with that guy.

STEPHANIE. said...

ohh yummy!!! :)

Brenda said...

Heather, that's pretty funny, OR it's proof positive that Everything But The Kitchen Sink dishes (one of my specialites) work! I'm still using this one, 20 (good lord, TWENTY) years later, too! :)

Summer said...

Oh my goodness! I'm so hungry right now and this just put me over the edge! YUM