Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

400 gm penne pasta (or any other choice)

400 gm frozen spinach (drained)

230 gm button mushrooms (canned, sliced, drained)

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 litre cooking cream

1 cup pasta water

2 tbsp olive oil

30 gm butter

Salt (to taste) + pepper + dried basil

Method:

In a large cooking pot filled with plenty of boiling salted water; add pasta and cook to al dente as per manufacturer’s instructions.  Meanwhile; in another cooking pot, heat oil and butter.  Stir garlic over medium-low heat; only until translucent.  Season and stir until aromatic; without garlic changing colour.  Add spinach.  Stir until dried.  Add mushroom, bouillons and cream.  Bring to a preboil.  Remove away from heat.  Drain pasta; reserving some pasta waters; approximately; a cup or more aside.  Gently stir in pasta.  Add pasta waters as needed.  Taste for salt.  Bring back to a preboil.  Transfer to a serving dish.  Sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese on top of pasta.  Serve with a bowl of extra Parmesan aside.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 24 August, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly