TGIF, yes? Gahhh, I am officially "poo-pooing" this entire week, Madeline style. Unfortunately, there won't be any playing outside this weekend. We have absolutely zero snow, 80 mph winds, and an air-quality advisory. Poo poo! Looks like it will be a weekend filled with homemade bagel baking, yogilates, Game of Thrones reading, and Modern Family watching. That actually doesn't sound too bad. You know what else doesn't sound bad? This Grecian Kalamata Pasta. It's a filling pasta dish with Greek flair, including Kalamata olives, Roma tomatoes, and spinach. Lentils give it a hefty protein boost.
Also, I really like this Greek proverb so I thought I would share with you.
Isn't that nice?
Grecian Kalamata Pasta
Serves 8
Notes: Be sure to save 1/4 cup of the pasta water for the sauce. Avoid red lentils for this dish, as they wouldn't hold up as well as brown or green.
- Sustenance:
- 1/2 cup brown or green lentils, dry
- 1 cup water
- 16 oz. pasta (penne or similar), dry
- Sauce:
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- Goodies:
- 3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped (save innards and seeds)
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 6 oz. fresh spinach (3 large handfuls), rough chopped
- 1/2 small red onion, diced
- 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
In a small saucepan, bring the lentils and water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and allow to cook for about 25 minutes, or until the tender. Drain and set aside.
Bring a large saucepan full of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Add pasta and cook according to package for al dente pasta. You will want it slightly undercooked for this recipe. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the water and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a food processor add the sauce ingredients and blend until smooth.
Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the innards with a spoon. Add only the innards to the processor and blend until well incorporated.
In a large frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil. Add in the goodie ingredients except for the olives and walnuts. Saute until the onions are browned. Cover with a lid for a minute or two during, to wilt the spinach.
Add the lentils, sauce, goodies, olives, walnuts, and reserved pasta water to the cooked and drained pasta. Stir well to coat.
Serve hot!
I like this calming song:
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[yumprint-recipe id='75']
To me, there's an immense importance in having the ability to cultivate a life filled with real and healthy cooking, a respect for nature, gardening, reading, friendship and the ability to repair things as opposed to giving up. All these ideas seem so far away in many of our lives, maybe not all the time, but sometimes. And I feel it too. I must confess, I have a sewing machine. I've used it twice. One day when we have more space, I hope to use it a lot more. I want to make things. Also, my garden is very small indeed, but I'm working it. And yes, my "book" happens to be a Kindle Fire, but that doesn't mean I don't read the same words as in a paper book. And though my friends are very few, they are of the highest caliber. Just the way I like it. So you see, I'm not as "down-to-Earth" as I ultimately hope to be but I'm getting there. A little is better than none at all.
