After the miso soup there was still a little spinach left. I had been eating so much soups and light foods lately that I was in the mood for something hardy. Something comforting. Something to fill me up and satisfy me. Pasta. So after a not-so-brief internal (and external) debate I decided on something creamy with almost a toasty taste to it. This is how I got there...
Melt equal parts butter and flour in a large sauce pan. Whisk occasionally to brown evenly and keep from burning. The darker brown this flour mixture, called "roux", gets, the more toasty flavor will occur. I was going for a caramel color. At that point I quickly whisked in about 1/3 cup of whole milk, and about 1.25 cups of dark veggie stock. I may add more or less of the stock depending on the thickness of the sauce. Ultimately you want to the sauce to be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon without running. I added a little fresh ground pepper at this point and just let it come to a simmer, stirring every once in a while.
While all that was going on I had boiled some water, salted it, and dropped my pasta in. Once it was cooked just through I strained it and threw it back in it's pot. I took the last of the spinach, ran a knife through it and toss it in the pot with the pasta, put the lid on and let it sit for about 3-5 minutes.
Once the spinach is wilted I dumped it all in the sauce, tosses it around, and threw some grated pram on top.
Just for a little extra fresh flavor I added a little cut basil.
It was everything I hoped it would be.
I was completely satisfied...if only I could have stayed home in my nice warm nest instead of having to work.
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