Here’s a new recipe! Sometime inspiration just hits me…I have to go with it and see what is on the other side. Tonight we had success, and I wanted to share it with you.
Ingredients:
1 lb. mushrooms (crimini & shiitake, stems removed)
1 lg. white onion
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 box whole wheat penne pasta
pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes
sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste
1/2 cup dry red wine (pinot noir)
5 0z baby spinach
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup toasted sliced natural almonds
In an large pot, bring well-salted water to a boil.
In a large sauté pan, heat up olive oil. Dice onion and toss into pan. Sauté for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Rough chop the mushrooms and add to sauté. Continue cooking onions and mushrooms, stirring occasionally, allowing a little browning to occur, about 8 more minutes.
Meanwhile, boil pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and toss in a few tablespoons of olive oil.
To the sauté, add salt & pepper to taste, and red pepper. Stir the sauté, and add the red wine, gently scraping the tasty bits up, deglazing the pan. Add spinach and heavy cream, continue to cook and stir, about 1 minute, just to wilt spinach. Pour sauté directly over cooked pasta, top with toasted almonds and serve immediately.
Chef’s Note: This pasta dish was served with grilled lamb sirloin that was simply seasoned with dried thyme, sea salt, fresh cracked pepper & garlic. We accompanied this with sliced whole wheat bread, buttered and grilled along side the lamb, and topped with soft goat cheese. These flavors all worked wonderfully together. We drank some Spanish Tempranillo, Corral de Campanas, Tinta de Toro, 2007 and enjoyed the pairing immensely. Perhaps you can too
