Pasta w/Spinach, Walnuts & Gorgonzola

I've been preparing a lot more vegetarian meals just to mix things up.  Also, they are generally super easy, like this one.  The CSA bounty gave us a massive bag of spinach along with a bunch of other vegetables. I was looking for a recipe that would use the Garlic Scapes that came and this recipe used both!


Garlic scapes are another wonderful bounty that I might only have access to by joining this CSA.  Similar to the Pea Shoots these curly green things have a taste that is strongly similar to their more mature counterpart.  For these scapes in particular, there is very little prep as no peeling or dissection needs to occur.  


You could easily modify this recipe to include meat, grilled Chicken would be a very nice addition.  There is no lack of protein, though as the Walnuts are an excellent source of that as well as Omega-3 fatty acids.  Good stuff!

For the Pasta:

• 1 lb whole wheat pasta strands (cappelini, spaghetti, fettuccini, angle hair...)
• Kosher Salt for the water
• 4 oz Gorgonzola, crumbled

Bring a large stock pot with plenty of water to a boil.  Add kosher salt to the water to flavor the pasta as it cooks.  Boil the pasta according to the manufacturers instructions.  Drain, but reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.  Return the pasta to the pot and add in the Gorgonzola using the heat of the pasta to melt the cheese.

For the Walnuts:

• 1 cup walnut halves
• 1/8 C lite Corn Syrup
• 1/4 C Brown Sugar, your choice
• 1/4 t Kosher Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Original recipe had 1/4 C Corn Syrup which I felt made the walnuts too sticky.  Combine the corn syrup with the sugar and salt and toss with the walnuts to coat.  Spread on a lightly greased foiled baking sheet or use a silipat as I wished I had done when I tried to remove the walnuts from the cheap not heavy duty not greased foil.  Some walnuts were harmed in the process and some were even sacrificed.  Bake for about 10 minutes.  Trust your nose as you will smell the toasty nutty goodness.  Allow to cool slightly.

For the Greens:

• 2 - 4 garlic scapes, sliced into 1/4 in rounds
• 1 T Olive Oil
• 1 lb Spinach, washed, stems removed and chopped
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly ground pepper

In a large skillet, heat the oil and saute the garlic scapes for 2 minutes.  Add in the spinach in bunches and turn with tongs until wilted.  Season with salt and pepper and add to the pasta.

Add in the walnuts to the greens and pasta and stir to combine.  Tongs help with this.  If the mixture appears too dry, add the pasta water to make a nice sauce.  Add in slowly as you don't want a pool to form.  Serve immediately.


Enjoy!