Artichokes with Peas (and Pasta)/Warm Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese

Madhur Jaffrey's "idea of heaven" isn't quite mine. Maybe it's that I used canned artichoke hearts instead of carving out my own. Or that I didn't have the oven-dried plum tomatoes that take 12 hours (I would have used sun-dried tomatoes, but I feared Jaffrey's wrath; she advises against them so strongly for this recipe I thought she might hunt me down if I used them). Or maybe when I eat pasta with peas my mind automatically adds the flavor of tuna.

In any event, we weren't awed, despite our use of asiago and Barilla Plus pasta (which, in our opinion, is better than the regular stuff).

The salad, though. Oh, goodness - the salad!

This is one we first tried at Buca di Beppo: spinach with warm onions and tomatoes, topped with balsamic vinaigrette, goat cheese, and spiced pecans. It's heaven. I've made it several times at home, since, and each version was a little different. This time I used red peppers instead of tomatoes, as I had none on hand.

Warm Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese

Note: no quantities given; alter to fit your own needs

Fresh spinach
Red onion, sliced
Roma tomatoes, quartered (or large pieces of red bell pepper)
Olive oil
Crumbled goat cheese
Pecans (or spiced pecans; I found a dried cranberry and pecan salad topping)
Balsamic vinaigrette (your own favorite recipe or bottled; I made my own by whisking together 1 part balsamic vinegar, 1 part olive oil, salt, pepper, and a bit of sugar)

Saute the onion and tomatoes/peppers in olive oil until just slightly cooked (you want the onions a little crisp). Pour this over the spinach, and top with the vinaigrette, cheese, and pecans. And then down the hatch!

(Pasta recipe from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian; salad recipe my own.)

Verdict: pasta = 2 stars; salad = 5 stars