Pasta with Spinach and Olives
Spinach can be eaten raw or cooked, but it is best in this pasta dish when it is cooked just a little bit! Chili, garlic, and nutmeg add dimension and taste to your al dente pasta and help to transform your New Zealand spinach from a nutritious leafy green into a delicious dinner for two! - Rebecca Photo credit: The New York Times
| Yield: 2 servings | Time: 30 minutes |
Ingredients
½ lb short pasta
4 generous handfuls New Zealand spinach
1 pinch of chili pepper flakes
About 15 calamata or other olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, finely minced
Olive oil
Freshly grated nutmeg
Salt, pepper
Parmesan or pecorino, freshly grated, for serving
Preparation
Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.
Saute chili pepper and garlic in olive oil for one minute. Add the olives.
Add the spinach to the skillet, sprinkle it with nutmeg, stir, and let it soften just a little (not too much!) in the heat. Remove from the heat.
When the pasta is al dente, drain (not too thoroughly; keeping a little of the starchy cooking water makes it silkier) and pour into the skillet. Toss to combine over low heat and sprinkle with pepper.
Divide between two warmed pasta bowls, top with grated cheese, and serve immediately.
This recipe is excerpted from Growing Perennial Foods: A field guide to raising resilient herbs, fruits & vegetables, by Acadia Tucker. It includes tips on gardening in a way that mitigates climate change, 34 perennial profiles, and a recipe for each one.
Rebecca Shaefer is a professional chef who uses only locally sourced foods grown in her garden or near her home in Virginia.