Last Monday, I went grocery shopping. The flavors that came to mind were chicken, lemon & spinach. I had purchased a chicken cut up to make a chicken salad for the next Day-The Hamptons Chicken Salad, which was last week’s Marvelous Monday. I roasted the chicken, seasoned with olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. After it cooled, I pulled the chicken off the bones and reserved about 1 1/2 cup for this dish and used the rest for the Chicken Salad. While the chicken was roasting, I cooked the pasta (save about 2 cups of the pasta water) and set it aside then did the prep for this dish and while it was cooling, I cleaned up as I went along. This dish is so flavorful with the lemon, butter garlic. The house smelled like a little Italian Bistro. Dinner was so good Monday night, that on Wednesday I made a very similar variation this time with asparagus, Hot Italian sausage served on the side. Pine nuts were missing from the Monday night’s dinner, the dish just tasted like it needed the crunch of pine nuts-crumbled pistachios would have been good too-Soooo, the Wednesday night variation got the pine cuts. I needed a little more pasta water for Wednesdays dinner. Delicious! Here you go…
As I was zesting the lemons and grating the Parmesan the Christmas dishes were the closest dishes to grab. they are now put away until next November.
Ingredients
(Serves about 2)
-1 1/2 cup of cooked chicken cut into small pieces
-8 ounces of spaghetti pasta cooked (set aside 2 cups of pasta water) drained and set aside ready to go I like a bronze cut pasta made in Italy.
-2 cups of pasta water (mentioned in line above)
-3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
-1/4 red pepper flakes
-3 cloves minced garlic
-juice of 1 lemons
-zest of 1 lemon
-1 1/2 cup fresh spinach washed and dried
-1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
-1/4 cup toasted pine nuts*
Top left photo was Monday evenings chicken and spinach. On Wednesday, as mentioned in the opening paragraph, I added asparagus and cooked Hot Italian Sausage on the side. Same recipe, added the pasta water, lemon juice and zest and pine nuts. Delicious. You may decide to make other substitutions. Once you have a good solid recipe, you can modify based on what you have on hand or your preferences.
Method
- Have all ingredients out and ready to go. Lemon juiced and zested, pasta made, chicken cooked, cut into small pieces in a bowl. You could use a large skilled. I like to use a Dutch oven because there is less mess because the sides of the pan are taller. It’s a personal preference thing.
2. Melt the 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter the pan. When melted add the garlic then add the red pepper flakes, cook about 1 minute.
3. Add lemon juice and 3/4 cup of the pasta water. Stir. When the mixture begins to bubble a little, turn down the heat to very low and add the chicken and spinach. Toss together until everything is blended. if mixture seems too dry, add 1/2 cup of pasta water at a time until you get desired consistency.
4. Remove pan from heat and transfer to another burner that is off. Stir in grated Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, salt, pepper and toasted pine nuts. Serve and enjoy!
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pine nuts in a little pan-I use a cake pan. When oven is heated, place pan with pine nuts in oven. Check after 4 minutes, shake pan so that pine nuts are evenly toasted. Cook an additional minute or two, WATCHING so they don’t burn. You want the white pine nuts to be a golden color.
Monday’s dinner, Wednesday’s dinner and Mary Yana’s book.
