I’m strong to the finish ‘cause I eats me spinach

I love meals that seem complicated but come together in just minutes.

By the time the water boils and your pasta cooks, the meal is done.

While the water is heating cut your shallot, zest the lemon and peel the shrimp. Bagged spinach is already washed.

When the water boils start some olive oil and butter, and soften the shallots with some red pepper and some salt.

Start the pasta.

Save one tablespoon of butter to finish the sauce.

Now add the shrimp. Keep it moving.

 

Both you and the food that’s cooking!

 Toss in the spinach.

When it cooks down a bit, shake in some dried oregano.

Is the pasta almost done? 

Toss in the lemon zest and that pat of butter.

Then squeeze in the lemon juice, and toss it all around.

That’s it, yer done. Plate it and smother it with regianno.

Something this fast has no right to taste so good!

dinner is great

But leftovers for breakfast are even better.

thistle only take a few minutes

Artichokes are thistles. 

That explains the little barb on the ends of their leaves.

They are in season now,

and well priced and you should eat some.

The most antioxidents of any vegetable, too!

Wash and cut off the stems, cut the barbed end of the leaves and peel all the outer leaves leaving only the tenderest inner part.

Quarter them, clean a red pepper, some parsley and some garlic.

Now heat up some smoking hot olive oil and in they go.

Just turn them around and around for 5 or 6 minutes,
then toss in the fresh red pepper.

Two more minutes, add some salt, throw in the parsley and the garlic
and some dried red pepper if you want a little heat.

Another minute or so, a squeeze of lemon…

 and you are done!

a bone to pick

Bone marrow gets an undeservedly bad rap.

Yeah, it’s mostly fat. 

But it’s the GOOD monounsaturated type, with linoleic acid,

 a potent cancer inhibitor.

It’s also a great source of omega-3 fatty acids that improve brain function.

And it boosts your immune system with a healthy dose of calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, selenium, magnesium, manganese and a lot of Vitamin A. 

Set the bones on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil, then grind a bit of black pepper. 

450 for 15 minutes is perfect.

Scoop it out and spread it on a crunchy toasted peasant bread.

And then dress it with parsley salad and coarse French sea salt. 

And cornichon.

https://lahealthyliving.com/healthiest-food/bone-marrow-is-an-extremely-nutritious-food/

http://clocktowertenants.com/2016/07/so-not-offal.html

osso, serve pasta on the side

http://clocktowertenants.com/2014/03/ides-make-this-if-ides-were-you.html

hooker pasta

Linguini alla puttanesca is literally 

"linguini in the style of a whore" in Italian. 

Shocking, I know, but in earlier times we had a tendency to shrug off politically incorrect stuff like this. 

But it is salty and complex and delicious! 

Drain the oil from a 4oz jar of anchovies and from a cup or two of oily black olives into a large, thick bottom pot. 

7 or 8 tablespoons of oil is about right.

Chop four large cloves of fresh garlic,
and two large red peppers.

Heat the oil to sizzling and drop the vegetables in.

4 tablespoons of capers.

Chop the capers and anchovies and add them to the vegetables.

Coarsely chop a cup or two of salty black olives, I used pitted kalamatas but almost any black olive will do. 

Throw them in and keep stirring and bubbling.

Now chop up four large Summer tomatoes and a little basil you froze towards the end of last season. Sure you did. 

(Or a 28 ounce can of peeled if you must.)

Tons of freshly ground black pepper. 

The anchovies and capers are salty enough.

Bubble it gently for about 20 or 25 minutes,

then blend smooth about half of it, then dump it all back in.

Taste and add salt if you really want to. 

I don’t think it needs it. Yum.

DeCecco #7 linguini.

And then serve it with a flourish of grated reggiano and an icy cold beer (to your favorite lady_of_the_night.)