Spinach, Onion and Sausage Rotini

I tried out a new dish last night, and was really pleased with the final result. This dish is relatively quick, and very simple to make. Best of all, you can replace the spinach and onions with just about any vegetable you have on hand (I adapted the meal myself from a sausage and broccoli recipe).

Ingredients:

3 hot italian sausages

generous handful of spinach

one tomato, diced

1/2 an onion, diced

1/4 cup olive oil

minced garlic

salt and pepper, to taste

red pepper flakes

parmesan cheese, shredded

3/4 package of rotini pasta

I started out with the hot italian sausages, cooked in a pan over medium high heat for a total of 15 minutes. Brown on one side for 5 minutes, then flip sausages and cook for another 5 minutes. For the last 5 minutes, add a small amount of water to the pan and cover. Unless we're grilling, I always cook sausages like this and find they come out tender and juicy. Allow sausages to sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Remove sausages from pan and drain excess water. Add olive oil, onions and garlic to pan, and saute desired amount. Next, add the spinach and tomatoes. I steamed the spinach separately and then added it to the pan, but I don't think think that was necessary. I sprinkled in some salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.

Cook rotini according to package directions, and add to pan. I threw in a little more olive oil and garlic at this point. Add sliced sausage and mix. Finally, add desired amount of parmesan cheese. I threw in about 2 handfuls (I also love cheese way too much).

Voila. This meal is virtually impossible to mess up, and feels more special than just using a tomato based sauce from a jar. Probably a little healthier too! For a considerably healthier meal, you could always sub chicken for the sausage, or even forego the meat altogether.

Served with a fresh salad - spring greens mix, cucumber, tomato, carrots and almonds, topped with a small amount of parmesan cheese. Tossed with a very easy homemade dressing (see recipe below).

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tsp lemon juice

several sprinkles of lemon pepper

salt and pepper to tase

2 tsp minced garlic

Mix well and refrigerate. Add desired amount to salad. This provided a light and refreshing side to the rather heavy pasta dish.

All in all, an impromptu meal that was hearty and festive. I will definitely be making this recipe again.

--R

Annabel Lee

S and I, along with a few other friends, checked out Annabel Lee Tavern in Canton/Highlandtown last night. We've been hearing good things about this Edgar Allan Poe-themed place for a while now, and it happily lived up to all expectations.

http://www.annabelleetavern.com/

It's a tiny place on the corner of Clinton Street and Fleet Street, dark and gothic on the inside with tributes to EAP everywhere. With no reservations and six people in our party, we only waited about 15 minutes for our table. The staff was very accommodating.

We started out with some EAP-themed cocktails - S and I both got the 'Twas Noontide of Summer' - firefly sweet tea vodka, barenjager and lemon juice. Now I have no idea what barenjager is, but the drink was delicious and a little strong (Ok, so i just looked it up, barenjager is a honey liquer). Next time I want to try the 'Annabel Lee' - stoli, peach nectar and fresh lime topped with Segura Cava...

On to the food. We started with an order of their duck fat french fries w/ Herbs de Provence, and they were amazing. If you haven't tried duck fat french fries before, you need to immediately go find some. My personal favorites are the ones from Salt in Baltimore (www.salttavern.com), mainly because they're served with a trio of aioli dipping sauces. But the ones from Annabel Tavern were also delicious.

Already a little full from the drinks and fries, I ordered the California Club for my entree - Fresh Roasted Turkey, Pepper Jack Cheese, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Green Goddess Avocado Puree, Pico de Gallo and Smoked Paprika Aioli. Served with a side of sweet potato fries and housemade blue cheese coleslaw:

I think the bacon overwhelmed some of the more subtle flavors of the wrap, but I'm not complaining because I absolutely love bacon. The whole thing could have been stuffed with bacon and I'd be happy. The sweet potato fries were cooked perfectly, and the blue cheese cole slaw was a unique little treat - it was pretty rich, so the small amount served was perfect.

S had the Spinach and Portabella Burrito with salsa rojo, which was also a hit:

If you live in the Baltimore area or are planning a trip sometime soon, Annabel Lee Tavern is definitely worth a visit - who knew combining early 19th century writers and high-end bar food could be so good?

--R

Introduction

S and I (R) met at the University of Maryland, College Park and became fast friends. Recently, we found we couldn't stop talking about food - recipes we love, new restaurants we've tried, etc. Over some delicious Jamaican goat curry at Baltimore's annual Artscape, we came up with the idea of blogging about our shared passion. We hope this blog will be part restaurant reviews, part recipes and everything food-related in between, as well as a great way for us to keep in touch.

--R

This pic doesn't do the meal justice - spicy goat curry, jerk chicken, cabbage and red beans and rice! The goat was fall off the bone tender- who knew?!