with all the busyness of life - work, practices, rehearsals, playdates, dentist appointments, meetings, shopping, etc. - all that here-there-everywhere-ness can put a hiccup in even the best meal planning endeavors. on days like this, i either make the call for Chinese takeout or turn to a sure fire winner. this lemon linguini is superdelicious, always a hit with the entire family, and can be dressed up or down depending on what's available in the market or your garden.
easy lemon linguini [serves 4-6 hungry folks]
you'll need:
- 1# linguini
- 2-3 lemons
- olive oil
- garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 vidalia onion, finely chopped
- 4-6 oz. goat cheese
- green vegetable(s) of your choosing (a few were on my grocery list, but options were limited at the little village market yesterday and the asparagus looked best)
- salt, pepper, red pepper flakes + fresh herbs to taste
set a big pot of water on to boil. meanwhile, get your saute pan hot, then add a tablespoon or two of olive oil and cook the onions for a few minutes (on medium) then add the garlic + watch it doesn't burn. once the water boils, add the linguine and give it a stir to cook. if you are using chard or zucchini, you can saute it with the onions and garlic at this point. (we used asparagus this time and it needed parboiling, so when the pasta was 4 minutes from being done, i simply added the asparagus to the water and cooked it along with the pasta. after a few minutes, when the asparagus was bright green, i pulled it out and tossed it right into the onions & garlic for a quick saute.) grate the rind of each of your lemons prior to cutting and squeezing out the juice. add the minced rind and the lemon juice to the onions, garlic and veggies and crank the heat up to high, stir and cook covered for a minute. drain the pasta and return it to the pasta pot along with a bit of the pasta water, add the sauteed veggies and stir to combine. salt and pepper to taste. plate up a generous portion for each person and top with about 1 oz of crumbled goat cheese. if you fancy, you can also grate some fresh romano cheese on top. (we fancy.) and if you haven't ripped out all of the Italian parsley that was taking over your flower beds, chop up some of that and sprinkle it on top as well.
as you can well imagine, this is a great mix+match recipe to have in your last-minute-supper arsenal. love cherry tomatoes? scatter a few of those around your plate. does your crew need more protein? shrimp or grilled chicken are delicious additions, as well. enjoy! xoxo
