I was so proud of this recipe. I thought I had found one in a cook book, but once I bought the spinach couldn't find it. So, I just took what we liked and put it all together to create the pictured item. Notice, I cubed the mozzarella like we had at Cafe Epicure in Sarasota. I also purchased mozzarella because that experience taught me that a soft cheese on top of pasta adds a whole new world to a meal.

Recipe for Linguini with Spinach, Tomatoes, and Mozzarella Cheese

• 4 small cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 small onion, diced
• 1/2 package linguini
• 2 Roma Tomatoes, diced
• 1 good cup fresh spinach, rinsed
• 1/2 c. mozzarella, diced into small cubes
• Olive oil to taste, salt to taste, black pepper to taste, dried basil for garnish

Start cooking the pasta first; the rest of this cooks very quickly. This recipe is about everything being just barely cooked. Cover the bottom of a medium skillet with olive oil, more if desired. Add the garlic and onion. Cook on medium-low heat. My stove is hot, so I turn it down once the onion and garlic are well simmered. Do not let the garlic brown. When the onions begin to soften, add the tomatoes. The goal is to heat the tomatoes, but not cook them. Much of the sauce will come from the juice of the tomatoes mixed with the olive oil. Fairly soon after the tomatoes, add the spinach. This is where I try to watch closely. I don't want my spinach too shriveled up, but I do want it to wrinkle a bit. Because the leaves are so sensitive, if I shoot for undercooked, I am more likely to get them cooked to my liking. Add salt, black pepper, and onion powder, as desired. The purpose of these seasonings is to add a bit of flavor to the pasta noodles. (I have been known to just pour olive oil over drained noodles and season them separately. I just have to be careful to keep the noodles from taking over the show.) I have also skipped all seasonings and allowed salt and black pepper to be added at the table.

Keep the sauce warm until the linguini is done. Drain the pasta; dump on plates. Top with sauce and garnish with mozzarella cubes. I also sprinkle dried basil around the edges of the pasta.

This recipe served just the two of us.