2 or 3 Cloves Garlic 1/4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper 1/4 tsp. Salt 2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1/2 Pound Linguine, dry 6 Ounces Spinach 2 Portobello Mushrooms 2 Tbs. White Wine 1 Tbs. Lemon Juice
Extra Olive Oil and Grated Parmesan
If using whole-bunch spinach, cut of and discard the stems.
Place leaves into a large pot full of water.
Wash spinach well in cold water, changing the water one or two times as needed.
Drain and strain the spinach.
Wipe any dirt off of the mushrooms.
Cut mushrooms onto thin slices.
Fill a pan with water and bring to a boil.
I chose this pan because after the pasta is cooked I can use it to cook the spinach and mushrooms.
Add linguine to the boiling water and cook until done to your liking, about 10 minutes.
While linguine is boiling, chop the garlic; gather and measure salt, pepper and oil.
Remove cooked linguine from the water and strain.
Place strained linguine into a large bowl that you can use to serve the finished product.
Wipe out pan and place on medium heat.
Add oil, garlic, salt and red pepper.
Cook and stir the garlic for a few seconds, just until the garlic begins to sizzle.
Add the mushrooms and stir for a few more seconds.
You do not have enough oil in the pan to really cook the mushrooms, you just want to give them a little color.
Add the drained spinach to the pan.
Add the lemon juice and wine to the pan.
Cover pan and let spinach steam for about half a minute.
Remove cover from the pan.
Note:
The cooked spinach and mushrooms in the pan make a great side dish.
Add cooked pasta to the pan and mix well.
Place into serving bowl and serve.
Each dish of pasta can be garnished with a teaspoon of oil and cheese.
Also, fresh ground black pepper and maybe a touch of salt as I don't like to salt the pasta water.
New Taste Thinking:
Most people seem to be lukewarm when it comes to eating whole wheat linguine or spaghetti. I am defiantly in that camp. When in the mood for pasta sometimes it is better to go for taste rather than whole grain ideology. Some of the shorter whole grain pasta, like fusilli and penne do work well as a background ingredient but when it comes to center of the stage you can not hide the problems of the longer whole grain noodles. That being said, this is still a great, healthy, quick and economical dinner even though we are using white flour pasta.
