Nico-licious: TBT: Old fashioned Spinach Pasta

No, dear friend, I am not unearthing some forgotten, lost recipe of the late Marcella Hazan. I've chosen to participate in throw back Thursday, culinary style! Let me explain: this dish is old fashioned in the sense that it is a recipe I concocted and started making a little over a decade ago it's one of my first creations! I haven't made it in ages, but the weather in New York is snowy and cold, and I was feeling like taking a cozy ride through memory lane, and food can be a nice mode of transportation for the trip.

In some ways, it would be nice to go back to a time when we were young. I'm really happy right now though, so while I wouldn't necessarily like to be 21 years old again, it is fun to fiddle with recipes that I used to make.

I remember making this for friends and family with my friend Crystal (we didn't use the white wine, and probably used too much garlic, but we were learning and having fun.) We on occasion used to make dishes at ridiculous hours (11 PM....1 AM...3 AM....sometimes later/earlier! In those days I worked late, and we would often go for a long walk (4 or 5 miles) and then we'd be hungry! I've always been something of a night owl, which is a plus since I've chosen a life as an opera singer.

Anyway, back to food. This, like many Italian (or rather, Italian-esque) dishes is simple and yummy. I suggest using a short pasta onto which the sauce (such as it is,) spinach, and meat will cling. My current favorite pasta shape is casarecce. I fell in love with this shape while singing and teaching in Palermo last summer-casarecce seems to be the most popular shape on "bedda sicilia" (lovely Sicily.) That being said, I think short fusili would also be a superlative choice. As always, do as you please. By the way, the pasta in the pictures I'm sharing are actually torcetti, which are also lovely.

With this dish, don't expect a big gloppy sort of sauce-this really is somewhere between a pasta dish and a vegetable treatment. I do think it benefits from a generous strewing of grana padano or parmigiano reggiano.

As an alternative to the ground beef or turkey (I almost always use ground turkey, since it's more affordable in my neighborhood,) this is also a nice dish to prepare with flaked broiled salmon-you prepare the onions as directed, but then incorporate the spinach and pasta in immediately, and toss lightly with the salmon after (unsurprisingly ground beef or turkey is much more resilient than a delicately cooked piece of fish.)

I often recycle my water from the spinach to cook the pasta. I don't think this harms anything at all (unless you have some very dirty spinach...but aren't you rinsing your spinach before you cook it?) I find this saves on washing pans (which is anathema.) Of course, you could bring two big pots full of water to boil....suit yourself.

Ingredients
A big saute pan
A stock pot
Drainer/Colander
2 tablespoons plus a drizzle of Olive oil
1 sweet onion (I might substitute a few leeks if I have around-up the green ante a bit)
1 pound of ground beef or turkey
3 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 pounds of spinach (I like baby spinach a lot)
1/4 cup of Vermouth or white wine (whichever you have on hand-if you have sherry or brandy, they'll do.)
Herbs- fresh or dried. I have fresh thyme and parsley, so I'm using them. Generic dried "Italian seasoning" is also fine.
Lots of grated Parmesan

Method
1. Put your pot (or pots) on the stove to boil. Salt the water!
2. Chop your onion and garlic, and begin to saute the onion in a saute pan (reserve the garlic.) If you're using dried herbs, add them to the oil to sweat them out so they'll release their lovely flavor.
3. Brown the meat, which should take about 5 minutes.
4. Add the garlic, and cook 2 minutes, then add the vermouth or wine. Turn the heat down a bit to simmer.
5. If your water is boiling, add your fresh spinach-it will be done in about 3-4 minutes. It will loose a LOT of size.

This is that fun part of making dinner when everything is on track and the kitchen smells heavenly.

6. Drain the spinach and spray with some cold water from the sink. If you're using the same water (which works if you have a removable drainer) Add the pasta. You want it to cool well, because the next step is to ring out the spinach in a colander/drainer. Do this well-really squeeze the liquid out.

Spinach out....

Pasta in! No, the green water won't hurt anything. Remember, we're combining the pasta and the spinach in the end.

Cool your spinach off, or you run the risk of burning your hand off. Seriously, boiled spinach is HOT, folks.

Squeeeeeeeze!!!

7. Form the spinach into a square on the cutting board. If you're using fresh herbs, add them to the top and chop the spinach left to right, turn and then repeat (so the spinach finely chopped.)

Chop one way...

Rotate board, chop the other way! Notice the little ramekin of parsley-I point it out because I am proud that I had the presence of mind to reserve some for the end!

8. Add the spinach to the pan with the meat and toss. Turn your heat to medium or so, as you'll need to warm the spinach back up. When everything is warmed through, add some cheese, and add s bit of water from the pasta-this helps bind the elements together and gives you a bit of a sauce.

The starchy water has a funny contribution-it's smooth and really melds everything together nicely.

9. Drain the pasta.
10. Toss the pasta, spinach and meat together. Taste it for seasoning-make sure it isn't too bland (it might need a pinch of salt and a bit of pepper.)

Nearly ready to eat!

11. Transfer the pasta to a serving dish. Top with more cheese, a bit of olive oil if it needs, and maybe a little fresh parsley if you have it.