Spinach and Cheese Pasta: Good Food that Doesn't Have to be Chewed

Shannon’s been going through dental work for what seems like a lifetime. In reality, it’s only been a couple of months, but each trip to the dental school in San Antonio is an ordeal. We have the choice of leaving before the sun comes up or coming back to Austin with rush hour in full flower.

It's an ugly flower at the very least.

Since I can’t see very well when the sun is down or barely up, we opt for the latter. My vision has deteriorated to the point that I can’t safely drive on highways when it’s dark.

As bad as the trips are, they pale in comparison with preparing menus for someone who’s having his teeth systematically taken out.

I have to make sure the food is good and nutritious, but also prepare it in a way that doesn’t require chewing. In the process I’ve come up with some really good recipes.

Thus, my newest creation: orzo with spinach and gouda.

If you’re like I was a week ago, you don’t know what orzo is. It’s a very small pasta that plumps up to the size of a very large piece of rice. But it tastes better than rice because it’s made out of wheat, not rice. It’s a hearty addition to something as simple as spinach and chicken soup.

Ingredients:

1 box of mushroom broth (organic, if available)
1 pound of spinach, julienned
¼ cup of carrots, julinenned
1 pound of orzo
4 slices of fresh ginger
Sliced green onions (but only the white parts)
2 tablespoons of white pepper
2 teaspoons of salt
½ cup of smoked gouda cheese
fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Putting it together:

Dump the mushroom broth into a medium to large sauce pan on medium heat. Slice the spinach into strips. (Rolling them up and using scissors makes this much easier.)

Julienne the carrots. (There is no easy way to do that.)

Cut four substantial slices of ginger from a fresh root (dried ginger will not work)

Toss the carrots, spinach and ginger into the brew. Add the white pepper (do not use black pepper at this point—doing so will fundamentally alter the flavor of this dish) and salt.

Let it come to a boil. Turn the heat down and dump to the orzo in.

Cover. (If you don’t have a lid that fits the pan you’re using, I’ve found that skillets make very good lids. Especially the cast iron kinds. They’re good and heavy, and won’t blow off if the heat gets too high.)

Stir occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking. (Orzo has a nasty habit of sinking to the bottom and sticking to the pan, and you don’t want to lose any of the flavor to stuck pasta.)

When it’s approaching done (it’s done when the pasta swells to about 2 or 3 times its original size), toss in the white parts of the green onions. Stir them and remove the whole thing from heat. The onions will continue to cook as you finish the rest.

Stir in the smoked gouda and let the whole thing sit for a little bit.

Add black pepper to taste (freshly ground, of course).

Serve and enjoy.

Not having teeth doesn’t have to be so bad. Even for those of us who have some left.