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I currently live in Charlotte, NC and after spending 7 years as a personal chef and caterer, I am now happy to share my love of cooking with friends and family. My heart is in the kitchen, but my soul is in the stars!

Is it Friday yet?

Not quite my dears, but have no fear - the holiday weekend is right around the corner and that means an extra day of rest and relaxation! I plan to take full advantage of the three day weekend, having worked hard in the kitchen all week. My personal kitchen, that is. With a whole week of menu planning and prep almost under my belt, I have enough food in my fridge to feed an army!

Thursday's menu was quite simple and featured yet another of Bon Appetit's recipes. I think I should probably broaden my horizons and subscribe to another magazine or else get a job as a recipe tester for BA. I wonder if they pay well?

Penne with Greens, Feta, & Olives was a light and tasty vegetarian dish (dare I even say it seemed to taste better when I had it for lunch the next day?) and is perfect for summer. It's quick and easy so you're not toiling over a hot stove during the sweltering summer heat. Can you believe the temps have already reached 91?? I loved the saltiness of the Kalamata olives and I decided to add just a bit of lemon juice and a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little extra zing. Just make sure you wash your spinach really well if you aren't purchasing the prewashed bagged kind.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Penne with Greens, Olives & Feta

Serving Size : 4
Categories : Pasta,Vegetarian

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lemon -- juiced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 large bunch spinach greens (about 10 cups packed) -- washed, and stems removed
12 ounces penne
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)

Mix parsley, lemon peel in small bowl; set aside.

Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add greens and cook just until tender, 1 to 6 minutes, depending on type of greens. Using skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer greens to colander to drain. Return water to boil. Add pasta and cook just until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup pasta cooking liquid. In the meantime, saute garlic in a bit of oil. Return pasta to pot; add greens oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and toss. Stir in olives, feta, lemon juice and enough reserved pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupful to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with parsley mixture and serve.

Source:
"adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2008"
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NOTES : Tasted better the next day!

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1 comments:

Desperately Seeking Gina said...

Looks great Alison! I'm always on the lookout for good vegetarian dishes....may have to try this one.

Is there an easy way to de-stem spinach leaves? lol. I get bored tearing off the leaves just making paninis...let alone 10 cups of the green stuff!

gina