By Mid-September. Five weeks post-surgery. The sling is off some of the day now. I do the gentle range-of-motion exercises Dr. Watt prescribed three times a day. Hannah supervises. She is a relentless physical therapist by proxy. I am her patient. I do the exercises.
The garden is shifting fall. I planted the fall greens Sunday — kale, collards, mustards, turnips, spinach. With my left hand mostly. Caleb came Saturday to dig the rows for me. He dug. I planted. Hannah covered. The work was slow but the work happened. By next week the seedlings will be up.
Wednesday I taught the cohort a longer session on TIG welding. Dwight handled the practical demonstration. The students were attentive. The fifty-eight-year-old woman ran her first TIG bead Friday. She nailed it. The bead was straight, even, the way a first bead almost never is. She said: I think I'm going to be good at this. I said: I think you are. She said: thank you for the wait. I said: you're welcome. She said: no, really. I waited forty years and you waited five for the surgery and we're even. I said: yes ma'am.
Caleb came Saturday. We sat on the porch. He said: it's been five weeks. I said: yes. He said: the shoulder. I said: better. He said: I'm thinking about Miriam. I said: tell me. He said: she's been talking about it too. He said: we're going to do it. He said: not announcement-style. Just gradual. Some of her stuff over here. Then more. Then most. By Christmas she'll be living with me. I said: that's a good plan. He said: yeah. I said: I'm happy for you. He said: thank you. He said: I love her. I said: I see it.
The kale and spinach seedlings were barely in the ground, but spinach was already on my mind — the fall garden has a way of steering the week’s cooking whether I plan it or not. Caleb had gone home, Hannah had gone quiet, and I needed something warm that I could manage mostly left-handed without a lot of fuss. Spinach-Artichoke Rigatoni was the right call: green, filling, the kind of thing that tastes like you put more effort into it than you did, which matters when effort is still in short supply.
Spinach-Artichoke Rigatoni
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 12 oz rigatoni pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
- 5 oz fresh baby spinach (or 1 cup thawed frozen spinach, squeezed dry)
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk or pasta water (plus more as needed)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to serve
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook rigatoni according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
- Sauté the aromatics. While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute until fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown.
- Add artichokes. Add chopped artichoke hearts to the skillet and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden at the edges.
- Wilt the spinach. Add spinach in batches, stirring until each addition wilts down. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Build the sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add cream cheese and stir until melted into the vegetables. Stir in sour cream and milk (or reserved pasta water), mixing until smooth and creamy. Add Parmesan and lemon zest and stir to combine. Adjust consistency with more pasta water as needed.
- Combine. Add drained rigatoni to the skillet and toss to coat thoroughly. Cook for 1–2 minutes over low heat, letting the pasta absorb the sauce. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- Serve. Divide into bowls and finish with additional Parmesan and a crack of black pepper.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 520 | Protein: 18g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 63g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 540mg