recipeworld

I know, I know, I’m really on a pasta kick. Don’t worry, though, soon enough I’ll be moving on to a new obsession. I have some soup recipes archived, but it feels too hot to even be talking about soup.

So today I want to tell you about one more quick and easy pasta recipe that includes two things that I always have on hand: frozen spinach and canned tomatoes.

People who wax poetic about using only fresh tomatoes in their sauce couldn’t be more wrong. Yes, in August or September at the peak of tomato season, it’s great to use real tomatoes to make a sauce. But in general, the tomatoes you find in the supermarket have little to no flavor, compared with high-quality boxed or tinned ones that taste great! Go for canned tomatoes with no added flavorings like herbs or salt, and you’ll be fine.

If you can find canned San Marzano tomatoes, from the volcanic regions around Naples, you’ll swoon!

As for the frozen spinach, I buy it in bags where it comes in branches that are wound together to make little balls. The balls of spinach are easily picked out, so you can have quick and simple servings. I usually use two per person for a side dish of spinach.

Spinach is also great for fleshing out pasta sauces like this one. I only had one small can of tomatoes, and the Canadian and I were having pasta for dinner. Adding chicken chunks and spinach really helped the dish.

Pasta with Tomatoes, Chicken and Spinach

8 oz. pasta

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 small chicken breast halves, cut into chunks

1 onion, diced

1 small can tomatoes (I used pureed tomatoes because it was what I had, but I usually use whole tomatoes and chop them up a little before throwing them in a sauce)

1 cup thawed frozen spinach

Cook the pasta according to package directions in a pot of salted, boiling water.

Meanwhile, heat half of the olive oil over high heat. Add the chicken pieces, allowing them to brown on all sides. Remove from the pan. Add more olive oil if necessary, and turn the heat down to medium/medium-low. Add the onion and sweat until sweet and translucent. Add some of the pasta water to the pan to deglaze the browned bits of chicken and onion, and then add the chicken, canned tomatoes and spinach to the sauce. Cook together until heated through and thickened slightly, about five minutes.

Add pasta water if necessary, and then toss about a half-cup of sauce with the drained pasta so that it doesn’t stick. Serve the pasta in pasta bowls with the sauce on top and grated cheese on the side.

In my quest to find new recipes and new styles of cooking, I sometimes forget about the old, faithful dishes that used to work so well when I was just starting out as a fledgling cook. One of my favorite things to cook when I was just starting was chicken piccata: chicken cooked with lemon juice and white wine and often capers. When I was deciding what I would make for dinner this week, with just a hot plate to use, I remembered my old standby, and I was surprised at how easy it was compared with how I remembered it.

It was just as tasty.

Chicken Piccata

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup white flour

1 lemon

½-1 cup white wine

salt and pepper

8 oz. spaghetti

1 cup thawed frozen spinach

Heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Dredge first in flour, then in egg, allowing the excess to drip off, and then again in flour. Salt and pepper the chicken breasts.

Heat the olive oil in the skillet until hot but not smoking. Lay the chicken breasts in the pan and allow to sear, two minutes on each side. For optimal browning, do not move the chicken while it is browning.

Turn the heat down to medium low and add the wine to the pan. Allow to cook, making sure that there is always liquid in the bottom of the pan so that the chicken does not burn. Turn once.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until al dente, about six minutes. Drain, reserving about a cup of cooking liquid, and add the spinach to the pasta.

Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the chicken, and then remove to a separate plate. Add more wine to the pan if necessary, and scrape up all of the bits on the bottom. Whisk together and add to the spaghetti. Add the juice of the other half of the lemon.

Serve the chicken over the spaghetti, with cheese on the side if desired.

Quesadillas are some of my favorite foods for clearing out the fridge. You can basically toss anything in a tortilla and add some cheese, and it becomes a delicious meal. I change it up: anything from leftover chicken and cheese to onions, mushrooms, leftover steak… anything is game if it’s hiding in the fridge. You don’t even have to use Mexican flavors: you can make a breakfast quesadilla with scrambled eggs and beans, or even a pizza-ish quesadilla with tomatoes, tomato paste, cheese and basil.

I like to make my quesadillas for one, which means that I only use one tortilla. This doesn’t mean that I skimp on the fillings, however: you can probably tell from the picture that I stuff them about as full as a regular burrito.

This quesadilla gets its protein from chicken and portabello mushrooms, with onions and cheese as well. I like to put a lot of hot sauce and sour cream on top, but serving options are up to you: guacamole, black beans, salsa or even just plain. The possibilities are endless.

Chicken Portabello Quesadilla

3 oz. cooked chicken, sliced

1 portabello mushroom cap, sliced

1/2 onion, diced

2 oz. shredded Mexican blend cheese

1 whole wheat tortilla

2 tsp. olive oil, separated

Heat 1 tsp. oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms. Season with salt and sauté until the mushrooms have released all of their juices and cooked through and the onions are translucent and slightly browned. Add the chicken for a minute or two, until just heated through. Remove mixture from skillet to a plate.

Add the other teaspoon of oil to the skillet. Heat and spread evenly around the skillet. Add the tortilla, and then place the reserved filling on one half of the tortilla. Add the cheese on top, and fold the other side of the tortilla over, like an omelette. Press down to help the filling stick. Heat for one minute, and then flip to the other side. Cook until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and slice into two triangles. Serve with sour cream and hot sauce, or your choice of toppings.