Vegetarian mains
Creamed spinach and roasted garlic orecchiette
You could use wet garlic when it's in season. Instead of roasting it, finely shred about half to a third of a stick and cook with the spinach. Vegans could use egg-free pasta, oil for wilting the spinach, soy cream instead of double and leave out the cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 whole dried garlic bulb
- olive oil
- 250g orecchiette pasta (little ear shapes), or another pasta shape
- a small knob of butter
- 200g spinach leaves, roughly shredded
- 75ml white wine
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 100ml double cream
- 50g Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), freshly grated
- salt and pepper
Method
-
Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6.
-
Step 2
Rub off the excess papery skin from garlic without separating the cloves. Slice the tips off, exposing the ends of the cloves. Place the garlic on a piece of foil, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and fold the foil round to seal it. Put in a baking dish and bake until very soft, about 40 minutes.
-
Step 3
Remove from the oven. Boil the pasta in salted water for 12 minutes until just tender.
-
Step 4
While the pasta is boiling, heat the butter in a large frying pan. Add the spinach and white wine (and wet garlic if you're using it instead of roasted garlic). Heat gently for 3-4 minutes to wilt and let the wine evaporate.
-
Step 5
Add the nutmeg and cream, then squeeze in the pulp from about half the roasted garlic (use the rest to spread on toast or in other cooking).
-
Step 6
Increase the heat slightly and stir for 2-3 minutes to reduce. Stir in the Parmesan. Season to taste. Drain the pasta and stir into the sauce.