Recipe-in-a-Flash: Spinach and Feta Bowtie Pasta

Here’s a terrific weeknight recipe you can toss together in about 30 minutes. The combination of the salty feta cheese and the bright lemon zest hit just the right notes. The recipe calls for chopped fresh dill but I didn’t have any and didn’t feel like making another supermarket run; it was an excellent dish regardless but I’m sure the anise-like flavor of dill would add another level of deliciousness. I loved this dish so much I made it two nights in a row!

As the recipe from The Washington Post mentions, you could throw in some sliced, grilled boneless chicken breast or cooked chickpeas to add protein. 

I enjoyed it with a recently discovered New Zealand sauvignon blanc, Sea Pearl. Highly recommend if you can find it. It’s light and refreshing, with a bit of tart citrus-lemony notes. At an average price of $12-14, this will be a great everyday summer wine.

Spinach and Feta Bowtie Pasta (The Washington Post Nourish column)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Fine salt

8 oz dried bowtie (farfalle) pasta

1 TB olive oil

1 large clove garlic, minced or finely grated

12 oz baby spinach, rinsed

2 TB chopped fresh dill

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (about 1 TB)

3/4 C (3 oz) finely crumbled feta cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the garlic and cook, stirring once or twice, until the garlic is soft but not browned, cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the spinach, in batches if necessary, stirring as needed. Cover and cook just until the spinach wilts, for 2-3 minutes. Uncover and increase the heat as needed to cook off/evaporate any accumulated liquid in pan.

Transfer the spinach to the bowl with the pasta. Add the dill, lemon zest, and feta cheese and toss to mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve right away or at room temperature. 

Storage notes: refrigerate for up to three days.

Sunday Night Supper

Whew!  That was quick - another weekend over.  I don't know about you, but on Sunday nights with the work week looming ahead of me, I want dinner to be easy and comforting - something that doesn't take alot of time, is simple to prepare, and tastes fabulous.  Well, step right up, my friends, I've got a terrific little meal for you. 

The centerpiece of this dinner comes from Mark Bittman (the New York Times' "The Minimalist").  It's called 15-Minute Fried Herbed Chicken. Now, you know traditional fried chicken is quite the production and not something I want to be doing on a Sunday night (or maybe not ever).  So Bittman's 15 minute version sounded very inviting. And, I loved the fact that he recommends using boneless, skinless thighs (one of my favorite parts). You can use breasts, but this will be juicier and tastier with thighs. This so simple - you throw almost everything into the food processor, whip it up with a little olive oil to make a paste, rub the puree onto the chicken, dredge in flour, and voila, you're ready to fry. The thighs cook for about 8-10 minutes in 1/4" of olive oil. The only change I would make to Bittman's recipe would be to salt and pepper the chicken before slathering on the paste. This chicken is tender on the inside and deliciously crispy on the outside (hmmm...just like fried chicken...imagine that). 

While I was frying the chicken, I thought, "what would be a nice accompaniment to the chicken?" To go along with my simple, homey meal, the obvious answer was sauteed spinach and some buttered orzo. The only thing missing was a salad but I just couldn't get to that - oh well. I think a nice Pinot Noir would go great with this if you are so inclined. Another nice thing about this chicken is that you can serve it hot right out of the pan or at room temp so it would be a good make-ahead dish.  Oooh, I also just thought that the leftovers would make a fabulous lunch the next day - maybe on a nice semolina roll with some arugula and a little fresh mozzarella?

I realize this post is probably coming too late for your Sunday Night Supper (unless you are on the West Coast), but there's always next week. In fact, this recipe is so quick and easy, you could even make it during the week - how about that?  Thanks, Bittman.

15-Minute Fried Herb Chicken

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1-2 TB mixed fresh herbs, like tarragon and sage

2 TB tahini or peanut butter (I used tahini)

1/4 C olive oil (more for frying)

Flour for dredging

6 bonless, skinless chicken thighs or 4 half-breasts

Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Lemon wedges for serving

1. In a blender or the container of a food processor, combine the onion, herbs, and tahini. As you puree the mixture, slowly add just enough olive oil through the feed tube to make a thick, smooth paste; do not let it get too thin.

2. Put flour in a shallow bowl. Place chicken in another bowl. Rub pureed mixture over chicken, then dredge each piece in flour. Gently shake off any excess flour, coat again with paste and dredge once more in flour.

3. Heat 1/4 inch olive oil in a skillet; when it is hot, fry chicken for about 4 minutes each side, until well browned and cooked through; it will take longer if you use chicken with the bone in. Garnish with parsley and serve hot or warm, with lemon wedges. Serves 4.