Goat Cheese & Garlic Pasta

Adapted from Nigel Slater's Real Fast Food
Serves 2

• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 6 - 7 big cloves of garlic, crushed and coarsely chopped
• 7 - 8 sun-dried tomatoes, cut into strips or diced
• 2 cups chopped spinach (optional)
• 3 ounces goat cheese
• 2 ounces white wine
• 6 ounces filled pasta (like dried cheese tortellini)
• 2 tbsp chopped walnuts, hazelnuts or pine nuts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp herbes de provence or thyme
• salt

Over medium-low heat, start cooking the garlic and olive oil. Start some water boiling and find the rest of the ingredients. After about 10 minutes or so, add the onion to the garlic. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the water comes to a boil.

For pastas that cook in about 10 - 12 minutes¹: Add the filled pasta to the water now and salt liberally. Otherwise, wait a bit longer.

Once the pasta has cooked about 1/3rd of the way, add the tomatoes, a pinch of salt and herbs. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 3 - 4 minutes. Add wine and spinach, if using. After another 1 - 2 minutes, crumble in the goat cheese along with a spoonful or three of the pasta cooking water so that the cheese melts nicely down into a sauce. Stir in the nuts and the pasta should be about ready now, so drain it and toss the little beauties into the sauce.

If you like, gild the lily with a bit of grated parmesan on top, but it's not really necessary.

Notes:

1. Because we usually buy dried filled pasta in bulk as a pantry staple², I've timed the recipe for about an 11 minute cooking time. You can use any kind of pasta, but if it cooks in less than 11 minutes, you'll need to add additional time to the garlic-onion mixture before adding the pasta to the water.
2. Yes, I said staple. It's great for an emergency pick-me-up or meal since it can be eaten with just a bit of butter or olive oil and still be tasty and filling.
3. In fact, almost all of the ingredients for this recipe are pantry staples of ours.