Orecchiette Fancy Shmancy

Tonight, I had a first. Firsts are always fun and exciting. First pet, first kiss, first drink...always a new experience. This was the first time I can remember following a recipe to exact instructions without messing with something.

Orecchiette pasta with Canellini Beans and Spinach-from Gourmet Meals in Minutes
Ingredients: Orecchiette pasta (which is kind of a more flat version of a shell, like a saucer shape, one of the more delicate pastas ive worked with), canellini beans (wow, amazing), chicken stock, onions, garlic, fresh baby spinach, EVOO, red pepper flakes, salt.

When books and shows advertise super quick delicious meals, they are usually good and quick to prepare, but talk about some rediculous multi-tasking. I was non stop for about thirty minutes on this one. It required no real skill, just a watchful eye, a really good handle on my stovetop settings, and quite a bit of chopping. Also, I usually like to have a side beverage while im cooking, a good beer or small glass of whisky, but this time- no dice. I didnt have time to drink! Oh, the horror. ANYWAYS...
To prepare: start a pot of water to boil for the pasta, chop onions and garlic very fine and add to a sautee pan coated with EVOO. (I decided to prepare boneless-skinless chicken thighs for this dish as well for a protein, so at this time I seasoned them with salt and pepper, and placed them in a hot pan coated with EVOO and about a Tbsp. of butter) Once the onions and garlic are nice a soft add a cup of chicken or vegatable stock, a can of drained and washed canellini beans, a few shakes of red pepper flakes, and a sprinkle of salt. Allow the "sauce" to simmer until it reduces (this turned out to be a little less than 15 mins, which is a guess based on my ever so accurate internal clock) and let the pasta cook to al dente. Once the pasta is finnished, add a few handfuls of baby spinach (no stems) to the PASTA WATER (so brilliant) and let wilt. Drain the pasta and spinach in a colander, add back to the pan, and add the canellini's and sauce.

I served this pasta on a small dinner plate next to the cooked chicken thighs atop a bed of fresh spinach and loaded the pasta with grated parmesean. This dish was so light and fresh, and amazingly delicious. The orecchiette pasta was perfect for holding a light sauce, and the canellini beans matched the texture of the pasta perfectly-while at the same time absorbing the flavors of the chicken stock and onions. One thing I could really do without was the red pepper flakes, dont get me wrong, I looovvee red pepper flakes, but they didnt add any real noticable flavor or color to the dish. I paired this meal with a Stone IPA of course, a wonderful contrast to the subtlety of the dish.

Till next time..heres an after photo