Smoked salmon and sauteed spinach are the highlights of this quick and easy-to-prepare pasta dish. The shallots, garlic and vegetable stock make for a light, flavorful base, while the chili pepper adds a nice level of heat to the final dish. Because this dish doesn't involve much preparation or fuss, it is a great candidate for a quick weeknight dinner. If you have it available, using homemade vegetable stock will give the liquid a more complex flavor. Also, if you are able to use fresh-made fettuccine, enjoying this dish can be a whole new experience since the light vegetable liquid will cling better to fresh, laminated pasta than it does to dried, extruded pasta.
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1/2 pound fettuccine or other wide-noodle pasta (e.g., tagliatelle, pappardelle)
4 oz. smoked salmon, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely diced
1 small red chili pepper (e.g., thai or red jalapeño), finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 oz. baby spinach leaves
3/4 cup unsalted vegetable stock
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
YIELD: 2 servings
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Warm two serving bowls (e.g., in a low heat oven). Keeping your serving bowls warm will prevent the finished dish from cooling off too quickly.
- Start the pasta by adding enough water to a large pot and bringing it to a boil. While the water is heating, continue with the remaining steps.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, followed by the shallots and a pinch of salt. Cook for a few minutes until the shallots start to soften.
- Add the chili pepper and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until it becomes fragrant (about 30 seconds - 1 minute). You don't want the garlic to burn.
- Add the spinach to the pan and mix until coated with the shallot mixture and the leaves start to wilt a bit.
- Add the vegetable stock and cook for about 5 minutes until the spinach wilts and some of the liquid evaporates. Add the butter and cook until it melts and is incorporated into the mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep in mind that the smoked salmon will bring some salt to the dish, so be careful to not over-salt the mixture. Cover and set aside.
- When the water comes to a full boil, add salt and cook the fettuccine until done.
- Drain the fettuccine and divide among the two serving bowls. Top each bowl with half the the salmon, then divide the spinach mixture among the bowls. Use a pair of kitchen tongs to fold the spinach and smoked salmon into the fettuccine. Spoon any remaining cooking liquid from the pan over each serving.
- Serve immediately. Our suggested wine pairing for this dish is a cold Pinot Grigio.