Fresh wholemeal linguine with asparagus, peas, spinach and mint.

I try to eat healthy. I swear I do. I try to incorporate a well balanced eating routine but I find that during the "silly" season (Xmas and New Year) things can get a little hectic on the food front. Second helpings and extra sweets can certainly build up into unwanted kilos. So I was looking for a healthier alternative the other night for dinner. My local deli always has a handy supply of goodies and on that particular day I found some freshly made whole wheat linguine. Interesting I thought. I just need to balance this out with some lovely greens. I picked some fresh asparagus, some peas, a bunch of spinach and some fresh mint. Then off to work I went!

While this pasta dish is not of the traditional variety I always believe its good to experiment and play around with food. It was very easy to prepare and it provided me with some very well needed greens. I thought that the linguine might have been a little heavy but it was fine. I have included an extra step for those who want to be a little "wicked" in preparing this dish.

PASTA WITH "GREENS"
Pasta of your choice
One bunch of asparagus with the stalky bits cut off.
A cup of fresh peas (you can use frozen..less time)
A good handful of spinach
A handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
A little olive oil
A clove of garlic, finely chopped

Wicked optional ingredient
Mascarpone

1. Do all the usual things. Clean the asparagus and discard the "woody" ends. Shell the peas (if using fresh). Rinse the spinach.
2. Bring two pots of water to the boil. In one, place the asparagus first and let it cook for a couple of mins. Then add the peas and spinach and let it cook for about another minute. (We are looking at blanching here and not cooking everything for too long).
3. Drain the greens and refresh them in some cold water.
4. Now, cook your fresh pasta. (fresh pasta will not take too long to boil. A couple of mins at the most). Once cooked, drain and reserve some of the pasta water.
5. Heat up a fry pan with a little olive oil. Add your minced garlic and let it cook a little. Be wary about burning it! Drain your cooled greens and place in the fry pan. Give it a good toss making sure the greens get coated by the oil.
6. Add the freshly cooked pasta and toss through again.
7. Add the freshly chopped mint and some salt and pepper.
8. If things get a little dry here add some of the reserved pasta water.
9. Finally, if you want to be a little wicked add a good tablespoon of fresh macarpone! It just adds a lovely velvety, soft touch to this dish!
10. Serve with some freshly grated parmesan, a glass of rose and some Sydney sunshine.



Eat your greens!

Tags:recipes quick pasta peas

My own creation...all lying about in the fridge

Yours truly was looking in the fridge yesterday, trying to decide what to eat for dinner. I'm sure this routine is repeated everywhere in the world, no matter where you are. You open the fridge, you look, you think you have a solution and then you start all over again! Considering how many food blogs I read, cookbooks I consult and Cooking TV shows I watch I too can get stuck. Sometimes this can be a good thing because it can force you to be creative. All within reason of course.
When I glimpsed into my fridge yesterday I found a few zucchini, some left over pancetta, a third of a container of ricotta, some chillies and some leftover basil pesto. My mind went into overdrive and finally I thought of this little creation. Spaghetti with grated zucchini, pesto, ricotta and pancetta. Drawing inspiration from Jenn, our famous leftover queen, it turned out very nice thank you very much. The saltiness of the pancetta went well with the creaminess of the ricotta and the chillies provided that little bit of extra heat. And the basil pesto gave it just enough aroma with out it dominating the dish. This is what I had leftover in my fridge. Feel free to play around with the amounts.

SOUVLAKI FOR THE SOUL'S QUICK PASTA
3 grated zucchini
2 tbsps of basil pesto
3/4 cup of ricotta
1 chilli finely chopped
4 slices of pancetta all diced up
1/2 a packet of spaghetti

You know the drill. Boil the spaghetti and get it to the al dente stage. No soggy overcooked strands please!
Grate the zucchini and set aside in a bowl. In a large fry pan on a MEDIUM heat fry up the chillies in a little olive oil. Add the diced pancetta and give it a good stir. Add the grated zucchini and let all the ingredients fry for a couple of minutes. Then add the cooked spaghetti to the pan and shake it all about tossing everything through the strands. And finally add the ricotta and basil and stir one more time. Arrange on a plate and tuck in. So simple yet so delicious.



Spaghetti with pancetta, ricotta, chillies and zucchini

Tags:recipes pasta quick