| Cellentani with spinach, mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes |
I made this in autumn 2001 when I saw some brilliantly green and fresh spinach at the grocer and just had to have it. This dish is just beautiful, with the deep dark autumn colours of the spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes amongst the pasta. And of course super quick and easy. This would serve 4.
| 400 g | cellentani (pasta shaped like short corkscrews - Barilla is a good brand) |
| a big bunch | english spinach, washed, stemmed and chopped |
| 3 cloves | garlic, crushed |
| butter |
| salt |
| about 8 | large, flat mushrooms, sliced in half and then into 0.5 cm slices |
| 8 or 10 | sun dried tomatoes, chopped |
| freshly ground black pepper |
| good olive oil |
Put a large pot of water on to boil. When it comes to the boil, add salt and then pasta, and cook till just al dente.
Meanwhile, heat some butter in a frypan and saute the mushrooms over low-medium heat. When they're brown and releasing a bit of liquid, add half a teaspoon of salt and stir through. Remove into a bowl and put to the side. Put a little olive oil in the pan (or use the mushroom juices), and fry the garlic for 1 minute. Add the spinach, and stir until wilted and darkened in colour. Tip back in the mushrooms and add the sun dried tomatoes and cook for one minute more. Hopefully this should coincide with the pasta being ready.
Drain the pasta and tip into a bowl. Stir through a nice lug of good olive oil, then the sauce and pepper. Serve at once.
|
|