Drunken Goat Pasta

Good With: Caesar Salad, Garlic Bread, Black Pepper Bread
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: About 25 minutes
Cost: 50¢ per serving
Original Pirate Material

It was dinner time in the apartment and we didn’t have much on hand but remnants from other dishes. So, some dry pasta, an open package of goat cheese, about half a bag of frozen green beans and an urge to continue experimenting with dry sherry became the inspiration for Drunken Goat Pasta. The sherry gives the green beans a nice bite and really helps to amalgamate all the flavors in the dish.

Ingredients

Makes: 2 large servings

6 oz dry rotini pasta
6 oz frozen green beans
2 oz goat cheese (plain or herbed)
2 tbs butter
1/2 cup dry sherry
3 tbs pasta water
shredded parmesan

Preparation Instructions

1. Boil salted water over medium high heat and cook pasta until al denté. When it is done,  drain and set aside 3 tbs of the pasta water for use later.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Add frozen green beans and cook until heated through, 7 to 10 minutes.
4. Add goat cheese and allow it to soften, then stir thoroughly so green beans are well coated.
5. At this point the bottom of the pan should be forming a bit of a crust. Pour in the sherry and use a wooden spoon to scrape the crust off. This process is called deglazing and will make the sauce extremely flavorful.
6. When pan is deglazed, allow sauce to reduce for 5 to 7 minutes.
7. Add pasta water to the pan and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. This will create a thicker sauce.
8. When sauce has thickened, add pasta and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the pasta to soak up the flavors in the pan.
9. Divide in to bowls, add parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Yaaaaaaaaargh: The pasta will smell like you’ve used too much sherry, but that means it’s just right. All the steps make this recipe look difficult, but it is really pretty easy and once you’ve done it a couple of times it’s a breeze. Many different variations of cheese, pasta, vegetables and cooking wine could be used in this recipe, which makes it a good option when you need to get rid of some seemingly random ingredients.