Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Linguine with Butter, Parmesan, Spinach, and Black Pepper


This is my third post in a row where I have followed a recipe - that isn't like me! With work being so crazy (crazy is good), I didn't have the energy or creativity to do my own thing in the kitchen. Following recipes has been good for this week.

Last night I chose a recipe by Giada -
Linguine with Butter, Pecorino, Arugula, and Black Pepper. I didn't have pecorino or arugula, so I replaced them with Parmesan and spinach.

Ingredients (I cut this in half)

  • Salt
  • 1 pound linguine
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups very finely grated Pecorino Romano
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped arugula

Directions

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
  • Add the linguine and cook until it is al dente, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
  • Immediately toss the hot pasta in a large bowl with the butter to coat.
  • While tossing the linguine, gradually sprinkle the cheese, pepper, and enough of the reserved cooking liquid evenly over the linguine to moisten.
  • Add the arugula and toss to combine.
  • Season the pasta, to taste, with salt.

I always use olive oil with pasta, never butter, but I loved how it coated the linguine and helped the cheese to stick. Arugula would have given it a nice nutty flavor that would have complemented the black pepper, but spinach was a fine substitute. When I'm looking for something quick and easy again, I would definitely think of this recipe.


Jon made himself some shrimp to go along with the pasta. He was already eating by the time I was looking to snap some pictures, so this is the best I could get -


To cook them, he heated olive oil in a small saute pan, then added 2 large cloves of chopped garlic. Then he added the shrimp, and mixed in some paprika, cayenne, and chili powder. They were such a beautiful color and smelled heavenly - I wish I ate shrimp!


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4 comments:

  1. That looks so good and gives me some great ideas!

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  2. nice simple recipe. thanks.

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  3. Looks great Mary Ellen! I'm saving this to try out soon since I have all the ingredients on hand :)

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  4. That looks great! I'll keep that in mind for a good pasta dish.

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