The Daily Grind, Chop and Fry

Can I go off, just a little bit, on onions these days? People have become unreasonable about sweet onions, to the point where my local Safeway often does not carry yellow Spanish onions, the unsung hero of the pantry. (I’ve griped about my Safeway before – when we first moved here, we called it the “vacation Safeway”, until we went back to the real vacation Safeway in Tahoe and I practically started crying when I saw how much better stocked it was than my home store.) Those hard little onions that are the beginning of so many dishes aren’t interchangeable with Vidalias, or Walla Wallas, or any of the other high-sugar varieties, and I’m tired of going to grab an onion from the pantry only to find that in the space of a week it has gone to mush. Just because Walla Walla is on the other side of the Cascades doesn’t mean that we are blind to all other onions, Safeway people!

There. I feel a little better. Back to our regularly scheduled post.

I can’t believe I haven’t put this easy and delicious pasta recipe on the blog yet. I’ve been making it for years. There are two ingredients in this dish (besides onions) that I would like to talk about a little here. Dry vermouth is an excellent staple to have in the pantry; it is infused with herbs which gives it a nice, complex flavor, and unlike white wine it does not spoil. The other ingredient, Chevre cheese, deserves and may some day get a post of its own.

Chevre is made from goat’s milk, which is easier to digest than cow’s milk. There are many reasons why this is true, all having to do with how easily it breaks down in our systems. It has as much lactose as cow’s milk, but we do different things with it. And just because you have trouble with dairy does not mean you are lactose intolerant – the protein in milk, casein, can cause us grief. Look for Feta, Brie, and other popular cheeses made of goat’s milk and see if you notice a difference in you they make you feel.

Linguini with Arugula, Tomatoes, Olives and Chevre
20 minutes
Serves 4

As always, read recipe instructions all the way through before beginning. Just thought I’d say.

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
4 to 6 medium tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped (3 cups)
Approx. ¼ cup calamata olives, pitted and halved
S & p
Zest of ½ lemon
8 oz. arugula and/or spinach, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp vermouth
3 oz. Chevre cheese
10 ounces linguini

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook onion and garlic in hot olive oil over medium heat until onion is tender. Add tomato, salt, pepper, lemon zest and olives. Stir and cook over medium-high heat about 5 minutes.

When pasta is almost perfectly al dente (al dente is just a little bit firm in the center), add arugula and/or spinach and vermouth to the tomato mixture; sauté just until greens are wilted. Add drained pasta to the pan with the sauce, reserving a little of the pasta water. Mix the pasta and the sauce, and add a little of the water to thin the sauce. Stir to mix, adding the cheese. Allow to cook for about a minute or two, and then serve.

Shopping List

1 medium yellow onion
garlic
4 to 6 medium tomatoes
1 lemon
8 oz arugula and/or spinach
vermouth
3 oz. Chevre cheese
olive oil
linguini
Approx. ¼ cup calamata olives

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