"The Okanagan Table" + a Recipe for Pan-Fried Pasta

"The Okanagan Table" by Rod Butters - Stephanie Arsenault - Global Dish

Sometimes you come across a beautiful cookbook.

You know the kind. It’s as lovely to flip through and look at the photographs, as it is to read. Its recipes are somehow both approachable and challenging. The ingredients are accessible, yet seemingly exotic. The Okanagan Table is just that. It’s beautiful. It’s approachable. It’s challenging. It’s lovely.

Created by Rod Butters, the man behind the highly regarded RauDZ Regional Table, micro bar + bites, and Terrafina at Hester Creek by RauDZ in Kelowna, BC, The Okanagan Table truly celebrates the craft of creating stunning recipes with local ingredients.

The recipes themselves vary; from drool worthy cocktails {like the sweet and savoury Amante Picante} to show stopping dinners {like the Steelhead Trout with Wild Mushroom Crust and Sauteed Mushrooms}, and simple breakfasts {French Toast, anyone?} to decadent snacks {Duck Fat Popcorn FTW!}, there is absolutely something for everyone.

Now, pour yourself a glass of Okanagan wine, turn on some music, and get in the kitchen. This recipe for Pan-Fried Pasta is all kinds of delicious, and is definitely as easy on the eyes as it is on the palate; in fact, I won’t complain if you make enough to share…

““I learned this technique for cooking pasta from an Italian chef who visited the kitchen back in the 1980s, when I worked for the Four Seasons. The pasta is pan-fried and stock is added, a little at a time, risotto style. The result is a delicious nuttiness that can’t be beat, and it’s my favourite way of cooking pasta.” - Rod Butters”

Pan-Fried Pasta from "The Okanagan Table" by Rod Butters - Stephanie Arsenault - Global Dish

PAN-FRIED PASTA
Recipe from The Okanagan Table

INGREDIENTS
⅓ cup olive oil 3 cups penne
1 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3½ cups vegetable or chicken stock {divided}
2 cups spinach leaves 1 cup chopped kale
2 tomatoes, diced
¼ cup basil leaves, torn
¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper

SERVES 3 TO 4

FIRST Heat a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and penne, and stir continuously for 3 to 5 minutes, until the noodles are golden on all sides (Careful not to brown too much—reduce heat if necessary.)

Add the onions, garlic, and butter and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onions are softened. Add 1 cup of stock and cook until absorbed. Repeat until all the stock is absorbed and the pasta is cooked al dente. Add the spinach, kale, tomatoes, basil, and Parmigiano-Reggiano and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, until all the ingredients are heated through and the spinach and kale are wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

TO SERVE Transfer the pasta to a serving platter, and serve immediately.