Thursday, December 3, 2009

DINNER IN A DASH- PASTA WITH BOURSIN AND SPINACH



Several years ago I learned a valuable lesson on the art of entertaining from a very chic and sophisticated friend from Rome. She was an expert at orchestrating a dinner party for 20 in an afternoon and cooking a fabulous meal in minutes.  She made it all look easy with her specialty of spaghetti with a creamy spinach sauce which was served in steamy bowls with a healthy flourish of parmigiana cheese. She graciously accepted her guests grateful applause with a grazie and a smile. It was only later, after much prodding, that she told me her secret recipe-packaged creamed spinach!  Her effortless style and confidence made her a truly great hostess.

I've taken her recipe as inspiration and created a 15 minute quick sauce that uses a handful of ingredients and produces a lighter, more flavorful sauce. Mangia!

PASTA WITH BOURSIN AND SPINACH
15 min. serves 2 for main course 

1 Package frozen chopped spinach (10 oz.)
1/2 small onion chopped
1 package Boursin cheese
1/2 lb. spaghetti
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil pasta according to package directions
2. Saute onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add Boursin and parmigiano cheese over low heat to melt.
4. Add 1/2 cup pasta water to the sauce and incorporate.
5. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
6. Squeeze excess water out of thawed spinach and add to sauce.
7. Toss the spinach sauce with pasta and serve with additional parmigiano cheese.

2 comments:

My Notting Hill said...

This looks absolutely delicious! I think I will make a point of trying this. Would be great on a cold night.

cris said...

what about the spinach?