hot kitchen? cool cure.

i can't believe that it was only

weeks ago 

that i was complaining

about the never-ending winter,

the delay of spring

and how i could use a little

warmth.

because now?

now it's hot.

and humid.

and i have the hair to prove it.

in some ways it's nice:

to walk the streets and see

people tucking away

salads

from their sidewalk seats

in front of restaurants,

to slip on flip-flops

before running out the door,

to actually crave

the watermelon piling

up in bins.

but every year, i somehow

forget that as soon

as the days border

on heavenly outside,

inside, they're sweltering.

we're lucky enough to have two

permanent air conditioning units,

but when it is extra hot,

they are no match for our fourth floor

apartment.

and the kitchen usually 

suffers first.

so this weekend, 

after avoiding an entire 

saturday of cooking,

i braced myself for sunday night.

what i really wanted was fish,

but i knew that involved

either standing

over a steaming

stove

or facing the extra heat

provided by a 400 degree oven.

instead, i made one of my

hot weather standbys

(although, honestly, i don't 

think i've ever before

had to pull out the dish in april).

it's a toss together pasta 

from giada,

who i happen to really enjoy

(i'm willing to discuss why

if anyone disagrees).

yes, this means a pot of 

scalding water,

but the recipe

is so quick and easy,

that i can put a flame

under the pot of water,

make the sauce

and be out of the kitchen

before even the first

tiny bubble boils

to the surface.

here's what you do.

chop garlic in the food

processor. add:

spinach

goat cheese

salt

pepper.

whirl together.

done.

easy.

ready for pasta.

and so bright, so pretty.

then. 

spinach leaves wait 

in your serving bowl

and when the pasta - 

whole grain which i love

(less guilt, nuttier flavor,

chewier texture) -

is perfectly al dente,

you dump the lot

on top of the veggie.

the heat and steam

from the penne wilts

the greens just enough.

tossed with the sauce

and sprinkled with cheese,

it's the perfect in-and-out

of the kitchen

solution.

it's that simple.

spicy from the garlic, smooth without

cream, just the right temperature

thanks to mixing hot and cold together.

it's pesto-like, minus the oil, nuts and

drop-by-drop dripping.

and, it's a good way to sneak in a vegetable -

and goat cheese - to the unsuspecting.

often, like most, i think,

pasta makes me feel guilty.

but, when it's unbearable

in the house, i can work in

a vegetable

and 

the dish requires only

as much time as it

takes for the penne to cook,

i can honestly say,

this dish is nothing to feel

guilty about.

especially if you don't have

an air conditioner

in your kitchen.

whole grain penne with spinach and goat cheese

adapted from giada de laurentiis

the recipe is so simple, that i almost feel like you don't need the nitty gritty details, that the above is enough to go on. but i will give it to you anyway - you never know when another heat wave will come through and who wants to think then?the original recipe used 1 ounce of cream cheese, which to me is a waste of a purchase. instead of buying a bar, i always up the goat cheese. also, the garlic is raw, which i'm fine with, but if you're sensitve to such things, don't hesitate to reduce it by a clove or two. the great thing about this dish is that it's great as is when it's too warm to focus on an extra step, but can also really shine when mixed with halved graped tomatoes, grilled shrimp or torn basil.

1 box (16 ounces) whole grain penne

3 cloves garlic, ends trimmed and halved

1 bag (6 ounces) baby spinach, divided

3 ounces goat cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons grated parm

in saucepot, bring water to a boil; add salt. when water returns to a boil, add whole grain penne. cook according to package directions. just before draining, remove 1 cup pasta water. drain pasta. 

meanwhile, place garlic cloves in food processor; pulse until chopped. add half the spinach leaves, goat cheese, salt and pepper; process 1 minutes, or until mixture is smooth.

place remaining spinach leaves in serving bowl. as soon as pasta is drained, transfer to serving bowl on top of spinach. add spinach sauce. let mixture sit several minutes; toss together. if you need more liquid, splash in cooking water. season mixture with salt and pepper. sprinkle with grated cheese.