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Ingredients:
1/2 lb Fasolino's Linguine #11
Pesto:
1-2 tbsp Fasolino's Virgin Olive Oil
2-3 oz. spinach (about 1 serving, 2 handfuls, or a bunch a little smaller than your head), rinsed and chopped
3 big cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup grated hard sharp cheese (parmesan, romano, or asiago; I used the latter).
1-2 tbsp fresh basil
Sautéed Vegetables:
8 white mushrooms, sliced
1 smallish zucchini (about 6-7 inches long), sliced
1/2 onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
dried oregano
dried thyme
Directions:
Start by making the pesto: Sauté the first 3 or 4 cloves of garlic in olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat. When they start to release their wonderful pungent smell, add the spinach. Stir until the spinach is coated in oil and garlic, and cook until the leaves have just wilted. Remove from heat and puree in a food processor with the grated cheese and basil. You should have about 3/4 of a cup to a cup of warm green aromatic paste. Set it aside for now.
Next, start 10 or more cups of water boiling on the stove in an appropriately-sized pot. Add a few pinches of salt if you like.
While you're waiting for the water to boil, sauté the mushrooms in 1-2 more tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat (you can use the same frying pan you used for the spinach; they won't mind). Add the zucchini, then the onions, then the garlic, stirring occasionally but not constantly. (If you're cutting up the vegetables as you go along, like I did, the water will get to a boil at around this point, although that will vary depending on your stove and vegetable-processing speed.) Cook the linguine for 7 to 9 minutes, depending on how al dente you like it. Meanwhile, add the dried herbs to the sautéing vegetables when the mushrooms start to smell tasty and the onions are beginning to become transparent.
When the pasta are cooked to your satisfaction, drain them and put them back in the pot, and toss them with the spinach pesto until they are well-coated. Serve topped with generous servings of the vegetables on top and a little more grated cheese for big presentation points.
Serves two.
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