Friends, I apologize for the radio silence around here these last couple of days. I blame some boys from Athens, Georgia, for my absence:
You see, my beloved Widespread Panic was in town, and I was compelled to purchase tickets for both nights’ worth of shows. This proved to be the correct decision, all told, even though presently I am so tired I can barely type these words. (LeeLee and I aren’t quite as young as we used to be!)
Due in part to my post-concert(s) exhaustion, due in part to indecision at the 11th hour while standing in front of the pantry, the recipe for tonight’s meal sort of came to be piece by piece. I knew we had a container of Brussels sprouts in the fridge about to go bad – they were supposed to be grilled last weekend, but our Sunday Cookout was rained out – and I knew I had a carton of cherry tomatoes that were hovering above the same fate. We always – always! – have some sort of pasta on hand, and after having been out for the last two evenings dancing the night away, I could sort of stand something carby. So it came to pass that I concocted a new recipe, and it’s one I couldn’t be happier with.
First, I cooked a pot of linguine until the noodles were al dente, and then set the pasta aside. In the same pot – my beloved Le Creuset, of course! – I then heated several tablespoons of olive oil along with a pat of Earth Balance butter. Once it was bubbling, I added about two dozen Brussels sprouts, tossing to coat them in oil, and then added some garlic powder, dried minced onion, salt, and pepper. I cooked the sprouts on Medium heat for about 10 minutes, moving them around quite often to ensure all sides were cooking through and softening up equally.
As they cooked, I heated up four chik’n patties and cut them into strips, then set them aside. I say this now because it’s just one less thing you’ll have to do at the 11th hour, so go ahead and get them taken care of!
Then, with about 5 minutes left in the cooking time, I added my carton of cherry tomatoes to the mix, stirring again to coat. About this time I also added the juice from half a lemon (and, for once, no seeds – hooray!).
Finally, right as the tomatoes were beginning to soften up, I added the chik’n strips, stirred everything around once more, and began to combine in the pasta, which had been hanging out on the counter (in a colander, of course, not just lying on the countertop). I did this slowly, adding a little extra olive oil as I went to help everything meld together a bit more uniformly.
Right before serving, I garnished the top with some additional salt and pepper, the juice of the other lemon half, and a hearty handful of chopped parsley from our backyard herb garden. Then LeeLee and I dug right in and gave the meal a thorough taste test.
Wow, did this dinner pass with flying colors! The garlicky olive oil sauce was so light and airy, yet flavorful enough to hold the veggies together in a cohesive culinary unit. The sprouts had softened into crisp-tender goodness, and the cherry tomatoes kept their shape but were only too ready to fall apart when we bit into them. The chik’n strips added a meatiness to the meal that I think really helped the overall composition. And the linguine had the perfect heft to carry the vegetable load.
I’m thrilled to know that we’ve got a whole container left over for our lunches tomorrow! And I can’t help but wonder how much better this meal would be with homemade pasta instead of store-bought. Guess we’ll have to try it again soon!
The recipe’s below.
LINGUINE WITH BRUSSELS SPROUTS, TOMATOES, AND CHIK’N.
Serves 4
What you’ll need:
1 package of linguine
8 cups water
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
24 (or so) Brussels sprouts, washed
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. dried minced onion
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 carton cherry or grape tomatoes, washed
1 lemon
4 chik’n patties, heated
3 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
Cook the linguine according to the package instructions, then set aside.
In the same pot, heat the olive oil and butter over Medium heat, then add the Brussels sprouts and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring often to coat them in the oil. As they sauté, add the garlic powder, minced onion, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine.
After 10 minutes of cooking, add the tomatoes and stir again to combine. Then add the juice of half a lemon.
When 15 total minutes have elapsed, add the chik’n patties and stir once more. Once the patties have been mixed in with the rest of the ingredients thoroughly, add the pasta in several batches, combining the noodles with the vegetables as you go. You may have to add a little extra olive oil if your pasta is sticking together.
Finally, just before serving, add one last dash of salt and pepper, plus the juice of the other half of the lemon. Garnish with the parsley, and enjoy!
:)