12-16…PASTA FLORENTINE

There are advantages and disadvantages to embarking on this pasta enterprise at my age. On the plus side, I’ve lived long enough that I can feel reasonably comfortable saying and doing what ever it is that I feel needs to be said, or done. On the other side of the coin: I cannot remember past breakfast, so I’m at constant risk of repeating myself. But, turning the coin over, I can say “what the hell, it is no big deal if I repeat myself”.

The spinach looked especially good this morning at Krogers, so tonight’s dinner will be a simple light tomato sauce with spinach, plus a bit of bacon for an extra punch.



INGREDIENTS”

Pasta
Olive oil
Garlic
Fresh spinach
Bacon, chopped coarsely
1 28oz can of San Marzano tomatoes
Dried basil and Oregano
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

PROCESS:

Cook the bacon, remove from pan, and set aside. Add some olive oil to the pan and cook the garlic until soft, then add the tomatoes, herbs and seasoning, and the beans plus a splash of red wine just for the hell of it. Well not really, it does add to the flavor of the dish. While the pasta is cooking add the spinach to the sauce. Place the cooked pasta in the pan, and add the bacon, and mix well. Parmigiano reggiano cheese on top will complete the dish.

This sauce, where the tomatoes are cooked for no more than thirty minutes, ends up very, loose, almost soup-like, and is what many Italian-Americans consider “marinara”, as opposed to the thick, rich gravy that cooks for several hours on Sunday mornings, often with meat.

COMMENTS:

At the last minute I decided to add cannellini beans to the tomatoes. With or without the beans, this is hearty dish full of flavor, and begs for a big slice of bread to clean up the dish.