Pan Pasta

Bongiorno, everyone, today I am putting together an easy dish, I like to call it PAN PASTA.  Italian cooking is peasant type food using fresh, in season ingredients.  Use everything in the kitchen!  I enjoy coming home and taking a look around me at what I have fresh and on hand. 

PAN PASTA
First I make the pasta as instructed below.  Today I added a clove of garlic and did not add salt to the dish because I will be using butter later on in the recipe.  *** reserve some of your pasta water for the sauce.

There are only two of us here tonight, so I will use a smaller pan to prepare the pasta "dressing".  Hmm let's see I have some grape tomatos, some fresh 1/2 and 1/2 spring mix/baby spinach, some walnuts and fresh basil growing out in the mud room.
First put a small skillet pan on medium low heat and add about 1/4 cup of you best olive oil.
half cut lengthwise 10 of the tomatoes
Put the tomatoes into the skillet
dice 1 clove garlic - add to pan (don't let the garlic get too hot it will turn brown easily and get bitter)
sprinkle with pinch of salt and pepper
keep heat low
add 2 tbsp unsalted butter and smash the tomatoes into the butter
adjust the heat so that it is lightly boiling.  Let this simmer for 2-4 minutes.
add 2 tbsp of the pasta water, this will thicken the sauce a little bit
Now right at this moment you have a wonderful pasta sauce, as below.  yuummmeeee.   but I like to add some greens....SO


This is where we are right now.  mmmmmm so good and flavorful, but simple and you can taste each ingredient....

ok, now, add about 15 leaves of basil, chopped and stir in 1 cup of the 1/2 and 1/2 lettuces to the pan.  a little more spaghetti water.  and voila!

like this.

fresh, flavorful, warm,like comfort food should be and wintertime warm pasta with veges and leafy greens.

If you are feeling adventerous,you can add some finely chopped walnuts, stir in and let it sit a minute.  adds a meaty, earthy flavor to already wonderful healthy pasta!  Enjoy!!