Spinach Cream Sauce Over Linguine

Cream Sauce over Linguine with Sauv Blanc

Um…….YUM!

This was quite simply delicious, and was more about the ingredients than the talented chef.

Pasta:
Fresh Linguine – Plain Egg Pasta from “the Pheonix Pastificio” in Berkeley, purchased at Farmer Joe’s.  $4.50 for 12 ozs.

Sauce

• 3 tbs vegetable oil
• 2 tbs butter (Redwood Hill, Grand Lake FM)
• 1/2 cup white wine (Ventana Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour (Lakeshore Produce, organic bulk dry goods)
• 1/2 pint heavy cream (Horizon Organic, Trader Joe’s)
• 1/2 cup whole milk (Trader Joes, “local organic”)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (Grand Lake Farmers Market)
• 1/4 white onion or 1 green onion, diced (Grand Lake Farmers Market)
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach (Jack London Square FM)
• 1/2 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced (Grand Lake FM)
• 1/4 cup grated parmaseano reggiano cheese (We have had this block so long I don’t know where it came from…)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Wait on the pasta until your almost ready to sit down.  Bring a big pot of water to boil with salt and olive oil.  The pot should be big so the pasta has enough room to move around in the roaring boil, otherwise it will stick together.  The package says cook for 60 – 75 seconds (yes, seconds) in boiling water.  I brought the water to a roaring boil, added the pasta, and of course, it stopped boiling.  It did, eventually, start boiling again.  From dump to strain, I left it in there for 2 minutes on high flame.  OH MY GOSH this pasta is delicious.   We will do this again!

To make the sauce,

1. add olive oil to pan at medium heat.  Sauté onions and garlic until soft.
2. Sprinkle just a touch of the flour in and mix in with a wooden spoon.  Any remaining liquid/oil will thicken.
3. Add butter (it’ll melt in the pan) and mushrooms and sauté until they are coated with the butter.
4. If you used a green onion, add the diced green “tops” or scallions now.
5.  Add white wine and bring to a simmer.
6.  Spring in remaining flour and whisk together until blended, reduce heat.  Allow to simmer for about 1 minute, until sauce thickens.
7.  Add cream and milk, whisk together until well mixed and simmer for approx. 5 minutes, until sauce thickens.
8.  Added grated cheese, stir until well melted and mixed, then lower heat.
9.  Add fresh spinach, stir into the sauce until all the leaves are covered with cream.  Keep heat low and cover the pan.  Now would be a good time to start the pasta.  Serve within 5 minutes of adding the spinach and do not raise the heat.

Serve with the Sauvignon Blanc that you used for cooking.  This is why you sometimes use a good wine for cooking.  The Ventana Sauvignon Blanc is dry, bright and has a very definite Meyer lemon tang.  It makes a great sauce and makes you look like a “wine pairing genius” if you serve it alongside the meal.  The bottle is approx. $10 and can be found at most Bay Area wine shops.  It is grown sustainably on a cold climate vineyard in Soledad (Monterey County).