I came across this recipe in The New York Times this morning and was intrigued by its simplicity and by the fact that I happened to have all the ingredients! Plus, I was able to use my new pasta maker to whip up some delicous fresh spaghetti noodles!

I’d baked a couple of focaccia earlier in the day, so the meal–including making the noodles from scratch–came together very quickly!

I adapted the recipe by replacing butter with vegan butter and replacing arugula with chopped baby spinach. I also omitted the parmesan.

Lemony Noodles with Almonds and Spinach

Cook in salted water and save pasta water…

• 1 lb fresh noodles

While noodles are cooking, melt until just starting to get brown….

• 6 tablespoons unsalted vegan butter (PC brand is good!)

Add and cook until almonds start getting dark (about one minute)…

• 1 cup sliced almonds
• leaves from 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 1/4 tsp chili pepper flakes

Add and bring to a simmer…

• 1 cup pasta water

Add and stir well…

• 1 tsp salt
• a couple of turns of freshly ground pepper
• 1⁄4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 TBS lemon zest

Add the cooked noodles, mix well and add….

• 4 ounces coarsely chopped spinach

Toss until spinach is wilted.

Serve with some freshly baked focaccia!!

And the song of the day is The Weather Station’s “Thirty.”