Tuesday Quickie

After a three and a half mile run at six o'clock in the evening, there are certain things that you want and absolutely things that you do not want. The first thing you want is water (and to catch your breath). The second is a refreshing shower. Last but not not least, after that, you really want to eat. What you do not want to do at this point is fill up on useless snacks or a particularly rich dinner because after you work up a sweat and feel healthy, you truly don't wish to ruin it with anything greasy or too cheesy.

This evening, we whipped up a "quickie" that took about twenty minutes from prep to table, and we literally pulled together whatever we had from the freezer, refrigerator, pantry and garden. Our creation was a Greek-style shrimp, pastina and feta with spinach. (I told you it was an interesting mix of items we could scrounge up.)

The highlight of this meal was the olive oil. It was the key to the flavor without a doubt. I used Sitia Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil that was given to me by my best friend Nicole. It came from a specialty shop in Astoria (Queens), New York. I sauteed the thawed and peeled shrimp in the Sitia olive oil with chopped garlic, sea salt, ground pepper and a bit of onion powder. As they cooked, I added spinach and finely cut chives to the saute pan. In the meantime, I boiled the pastina. When both were cooked to our liking, I poured additional olive oil into the drained bowl of pasta, added the saute and then topped with chunks of feta cheese.

This mild dish was especially delicious tonight because of its light texture and flavors. As I previously stated, the olive oil was the ingredient that added a special tanginess and texture to the pastina dish.

Remember: Cooking a good, healthy dinner doesn't have to be a production and can happen at a moment's notice. May your day's activities inspire more quickies for you!