A Pop-Up Dinner for Two

 What’s cooking? Pasta with Blistered Tomatoes, Sausage, & Spinach

We arrived in Jackson, Mississippi just 11 hrs after leaving Austin. A drive that was supposed to take less than 9 hours. It was the first leg of our first journey north in two years, our first journey anywhere, in fact, so we were pretty excited as we hit the road. Then the skies opened up. We lost two hours that day, slogging our way through Louisiana at 35-40 mph just trying to keep from sliding off the roadway. What a nightmare. We felt like the highway version of Joe Btfsplk, the Al Capp character from L’il Abner who was known as “the world’s worst jinx.” Btfsplk walked around with a cloud over his head, 24/7. And that was us: wherever we went – Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi – the rain and the thunder and the lightning accompanied us.

We checked into our hotel around 8, then headed immediately to the shopping area next door where I knew we’d find several restaurants. But it was Monday, and in Jackson, apparently, Monday is a restaurant holiday. Three of the four were closed, and the fourth stopped serving at 8 pm. So no food at all. But they had a bar, which was also closing up, but still in the process. I threw myself on the mercies of the bartender, who said he’d sell me a drink in a plastic cup. “Great,” I said, “I’ll have a glass of rosé.”

“Make that 2,” said my hubby, who had just walked up. Then, “Wait,” he said. “Make that 3.”

We looked at each other, nodded, and I said “Hold on, sir,” as I held up four fingers. It only cost us $45, including tip. It seemed like a bargain. 

“But what will we do for dinner?” said my mate. He had forgotten he’s married to the Kitchen Goddess.

“Don’t worry – I’ve got you covered,” I said. Because my last task before leaving the house in Austin was to pile into a cooler everything I wanted from the fridge and the pantry that wouldn’t last the summer. It’s always a moment of high tension as I do this dance, because my prince has at that point packed the car and now has to move things around to accommodate the cooler. Also because he thinks we should just leave the food, or toss it.

But every once in a while, these habits of mine bear fruit, or at least apples. Also – in this case – cheese, leftover barbecued ribs, a few cold cuts, some diced honeydew melon, a bag of sugar snap peas, a hard-boiled egg, cherry tomatoes, and pesto sauce. A feast! And because we were at a Marriott Residence Inn, the room had plates and flatware and even wine glasses. Might have been the best meal we’d had in a while.

* * *

The dish I have for you today is one I discovered in the runup to leaving. I was doing my darndest to stop making trips to the grocery store, and this recipe – with a few substitutions – managed to cover a lot of bases. The prep is amazingly easy, but it’s the versatility of the recipe that endears it to me. My sister-in-law feels similarly, having made it first with farro (which has been her favorite so far), but also with brown rice and quinoa for a gluten-free group. She says she likes it very much. So...

A Kitchen Goddess note on the choices you can make:

■ The carb element can be farro (which was the writer’s choice), or any short pasta shape. I used orecchiette. My sister-in-law made it with a brown rice/quinoa mix. Israeli couscous would work as well.

■ I wasn’t out of red onion, but if you are, try substituting shallots.

■ For the tomatoes, if you can find good, fresh cherry tomatoes when they’re in season, use them. Otherwise, the writer and I prefer grape tomatoes for better flavor.

■ The greens can be spinach or arugula. Or kale or broccoli rabe, but you’d have to pre-cook those, and who wants to do that?

■ The herbs can be fresh basil (Kitchen Goddess fave) or parsley.

■ The cheese can be mozzarella, buratta, ricotta salata, or feta. If you choose feta or ricotta salata (the dried, aged form of ricotta), do not add salt until you taste the dish with the cheese, as both of those cheeses are salty.

■ The pecan pieces are optional. I added them because my sister-in-law said the farro in hers had a slightly nutty flavor that she liked. I wanted that nutty flavor, too.

■ My sister-in-law made hers vegetarian and loved it that way. But I had a pound of Aidells chicken sausage (which come pre-cooked) to use up. I broiled it for 3-4 minutes per side, then stirred it into the blistered tomatoes; next time, I’ll just add them to the tomatoes about halfway through the cooking time. If you’re starting with raw Italian sausage, add it to the pan with the tomatoes and onion at the beginning.

Pasta with Blistered Tomatoes, Sausage, & Spinach

Adapted from Yasmin Fahr in The New York Times.

Serves 4.

Time: Ms. Fahr says 40 minutes, but KG is less efficient and took 1 hour.

Ingredients
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces orecchiette (or other short pasta), or 1 cup farro, rinsed
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
1 small red onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
¾ teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound sausage (your choice, or none)
¼ cup pesto (store-bought or homemade)*
1 lemon, zested (about 1 tablespoon) and juiced (about 2 tablespoons)

¼ cup pecan pieces (optional), lightly toasted for 5 minutes in a small skillet over medium heat
2 packed cups baby spinach or arugula
1 (4-ounce) ball fresh buratta or mozzarella, torn into chunks, or ½ cup ricotta salata or feta, crumbled
¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, or basil, leaves and tender stems thinly sliced (chiffonade)

*What??! Store-bought pesto? Ok, KG loves to make pesto, and here are two of her faves (click for link): basil pesto and arugula pesto. If you make a batch, you’ll have at least a cup left over that you can freeze for the next time you need some. But I will not hold it against anyone who wants to buy theirs.

Directions
Heat the oven to 400º. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta or farro and stir. For farro, cook at medium boil, stirring occasionally, until tender and not too chewy, about 30 minutes. Cook pasta to al dente, usually 9-10 minutes. (The shorter cooking time for pasta means that you should wait until the tomatoes/onions are halfway through their oven time to begin cooking the pasta.)

While the water is heating, in a medium bowl, toss together the tomatoes and onion wedges with the oil. Pour everything out onto a sheet pan, then season with salt, pepper and the Aleppo or red pepper flakes. (If you prefer, do that tossing on the sheet pan itself. The Kitchen Goddess likes to put a sheet of baker’s parchment down in the pan, but it gets a bit messy if you’re tossing tomatoes/onions/olive oil on top of parchment.) Roast 25-30 minutes, until the tomatoes blister and slightly deflate.

If you are using raw sausage, add it now to the sheet pan with the tomatoes/onions. If your sausage is pre-cooked, slice it in ½-inch pieces – or whatever size you prefer – and add it to the sheet pan halfway through the cooking time for the tomatoes/onions.

When the pasta/farro is done, drain it, then move it to a serving bowl or back into the pot. Toss with the pesto, adding a bit more of olive oil if you wish. Stir in the lemon zest and juice, then add the pecans pieces (if using) and the greens. Continue stirring the greens with the warm pasta/farro, to get them slightly wilted.

Scrape the onions, tomatoes, sausages and their juices onto the pasta/farro; season with salt and pepper as needed. Add the cheese, then garnish with herbs and serve.

Buon appetito!