Fall has set in here in Victoria and this morning brought black sky and a torrential downpour. I turned to my husband Gerry and wished him a great time on the water (with a sly smile on my face, as I had not accepted the invitation to race). He was heading off to sail in some of the nastiest wet I have seen in 6 months. Even worse there was no wind! No wind and heavy rain is akin to sitting on a park bench in the middle of winter. Anyhow, as he was off and I am leaving town tomorrow, I decided that I should deal with some of the great ingredients in the fridge – that would still be there at the end of the week when I return, albeit looking somewhat worse for the wear as he’s not big on opening the fridge door and cooking from within. Marriage works best when I don’t return to a fridge that is on the verge of displaying questionable items that no longer resemble food.
Taking stock of the fridge there was a basket of chanterelles, a box of baby spinach and peppers. What do you eat for lunch on a cold day? Nothing like a bowl of hot soup to ward off the winter bugs and cold, which in our 1912 house is important as the drafts seep into almost every room or so it seems. My parents now know to visit armed with bags of fleece clothing as the house will never be warm enough for them. As they are currently visiting, the least that I could do was to make a hot lunch.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 250 grams/8 0z of chanterelle mushrooms
- 1/4 cup white wine (optional)
- 1 package of baby spinach about 100 grams or 2 handfuls
- 4-6 cloves of roasted garlic
- 1/2 medium yellow or red pepper diced or finely sliced (however the mood moves you)
- 1 Litre/4 cups of homemade chicken stock or your favourite organic chicken stock from the grocer
- 200 grams/3/4 cup of capelline spezzati 58A or and other fine noodle
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chili pepper flakes to taste
Heat pan with the olive oil and then sauté the mushrooms until they are nicely wilted. Stir in the white wine and cook until reduced. Then layer first the peppers and then the spinach in the same pan allowing them to slightly heat.
Meanwhile heat the chicken broth and once it is boiling add the noodles to the broth. Add pepper and salt to taste. Cook until the noodles are al dente about 3 minutes.
Serve by placing the mushrooms, peppers and spinach in bowls. Pour hot noodle mixture overtop and sprinkle with chilis. Best served with a warm crusty bread.
