Something different for an entree? Give vegetables a chance

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By Jill Silverman Hough, CONTRIBUTOR Article Last Updated: 04/04/2007 10:00:44 AM PDT IRECENTLY spent a few months working on a vegan cooking project. I don't know exactly why I was hired to do that — I'm not

a vegan and I don't expect I ever will be — and yet, hired I was. It turned out to be a good thing all around, though. I learned a lot and my client is very happy with the job I did. So, hooray for that. One of the things I learned is that there's nothing that'll make you want to eat meat more than working with fake versions of it all day. I hope I don't offend any vegans in saying that. But in the course of eight hours, I probably handled more tofu and tempeh and Boca Burgers and chicken-like cutlets and ground meat substitute than most vegans do in a month. So at the end of those days I just wanted something simple and real. Something that wasn't pretending to be something else. Something like a chicken breast. That being said, the other thing I learned — again — is how much I love vegetables. They come in so many colors and flavors and textures. There are endless varieties of every one of them. Just when you're tired of one bunch, the season

changes and brings in a new one. And enjoying them again is like being with old friends. Vegetables are good for you; they're low in calories. Plus, they're just so beautiful on your plate. I have a foodie friend who thinks vegetables are so gorgeous she wanted her wedding bouquet made out of them. Fortunately or unfortunately, under pressure from her mother-in-law-to-be, she, er, wilted and went with something more traditional. I know, I'm stating the obvious. But I sort of forget all this. And I suspect you do, too. I conceive of my meals with a meat-centric mind, thinking that the entree has to have a hunk of seared flesh to be, I don't know, legitimate. When the truth is that often I'd be perfectly happy without it. As long as I get to have a delicious, nutritious pile of tasty in-season vegetables. Take pasta. Working on that vegan project, I made several pasta dishes loaded with all kinds of vegetables. It was a nice change of

pace for a household where angel hair with tomato sauce is the default. If you, too, are someone who thinks that the center of the plate — as they say in the business — has to have meat, or that pasta always has to have red sauce, try a saute of whatever's in season tossed with some good semolina pasta instead. To make it juicy, finish the vegetables with a little stock, wine, cream, or a combination — and/or stir in a soft cheese, like chevre, which will melt and become its own sauce. Or make it even easier. Add the vegetables right to your boiling pasta, timing things so that the vegetables are crisp-tender, or blanched, at the same time the pasta is done. Then drain it all at once and toss in olive oil, butter or a combination, like the recipe which follows. It's easy. It's elegant. And it's satisfying. And if you want to make it vegan, I happen to know it'll work just fine with fake butter and cheese. -Want to learn more about

making meals that are simple yet special? Join Jill Silverman Hough for the new Quick Cuisine cooking series at COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts. This month's class is on April 22nd. For more information, visit http://www.copia.org. Linguine with Spinach, Asparagus, Pine Nuts and Garlic Butter 4 cloves garlic, minced 3 tablespoons olive oil 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 8 ounces linguine One 11/2-pound bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed, cut into 11/2-inch pieces One 6-ounce bag baby spinach 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2teaspoon pepper 1/4cup toasted pine nuts, divided Parmesan cheese, for serving In a 1-quart saucepan over low heat, combine the garlic and olive oil and cook, swirling occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the butter,

swirling until it melts, and set aside. In a 4- to 6-quart stockpot over high heat, combine about 3 quarts water with enough salt to make the water taste like the ocean. Bring the water to a boil, add the linguine, and cook according to the package directions until about 2 minutes shy of being done. Stir in the asparagus. Cook until the asparagus is tender and the pasta is cooked, about 2 minutes. Drain the pasta mixture, reserving 1/2-cup of the cooking water. Return the mixture to the pot and stir in the garlic butter, spinach, salt, pepper, and about 3/4of the pine nuts. If it seems too dry, add 1/4- to 1/2-cup of the pasta water. Transfer the pasta to plates or a platter, and garnish with the remaining pine nuts. Pass the Parmesan cheese at the table. Serves 4. Per serving: 544 Calories; 33g Fat; 14g Protein; 50g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 48mg Cholesterol; 717mg Sodium. Jill Silverman Hough is a Napa-based food writer, recipe

developer, and culinary instructor. Her column, Quick Cuisine, runs the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Peter H

 

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