There are some days when even "inspired" cooks cannot think of what to make for dinner. Last week I had one of those days. I had invited my sister over and I wanted to make a special grown-up meal just for us. But after spending the day planning a weeks' worth of menus for my client families, I drew a blank. Seems I could figure out what they wanted to eat, but I had no idea what I wanted to eat.
After a quick inventory of my pantry and fridge I came up with a few ingredients that I had on hand that both my sister and I loved--gorgonzola cheese, pasta, spinach, pine nuts. That'll work! After a couple of drinks to calm our nerves--we (well, I watched) finally caught the dwarf hamster that had been hanging out under the dishwasher all day (but that's another post). I put the pasta on to boil and got started on dinner. As the incredible smells drifted through the house, my sister suggested that we add some bacon. Couldn't hurt. I chopped up a few slices to brown. What we ended up with was an exceptionally good "grown-up" dinner that was lightning fast (10 minutes maybe?) and didn't require a trip to the grocery store.
The key to any quick pantry meal, of course, is use what you have on hand. This recipe handles substitutions well. Don't have spinach, use broccoli or peas; no penne, try fusilli; no bacon; why not ham? You get it.
Penne with Spinach & Gorgonzola
16 oz penne pasta
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 large shallot, chopped
1 6 oz bag baby spinach
1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
4 slices of bacon, chopped finely
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
Boil the pasta according to package directions in salted water. When it's finished cooking, drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, over medium high heat, brown the bacon pieces until crisp. Remove from skillet and drain on a paper towel. Discard the bacon drippings and wipe the skillet out with paper towel.
In the same skillet, heat the butter and olive oil. Add the chopped shallots and cook at medium heat just until tender, about 2 - 3 minutes. Add the cream and gorgonzola cheese and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add the baby spinach and cook until wilted, another 2 minutes.
Combine the pasta and spinach mixture in large bowl, tossing to coat evenly. Garnish with toasted pine nuts and bacon.
Serves 4
Note: You can also garnish with a little shaved or shredded Parmesan (two cheeses can't be bad!)
