Ricchi e Poveri Pasta

When I was grocery shopping this week, I had an idea that I'd like to make something along the lines of a recipe from one of my culinary goddesses, Nigella Lawson, called ricchi e poveri. Shrimp represent the rich, and beans the poor. I knew that I had shrimp and pasta in the kitchen already, and I picked up some fresh rosemary and cannellini beans to round out the recipe. Add in a few things that I always have on hand--baby spinach, bacon, marsala wine--and dinner was made. And delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 can white kidney (cannellini) beans
• Frozen tiger shrimp, uncooked
• Baby spinach
• 1 pkg. whole wheat spaghetti
• Marsala wine
• Bacon
• Fresh rosemary
• Garlic
• Salt & pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Thaw shrimp under running water & shell; drain beans into colander & rinse as well
• Cut 6 pieces of bacon into bite sized pieces; cook over medium heat until crisp
• Add in 1 clove of chopped garlic and saute
  
• When the garlic and bacon are cooked, pour in 3/4 cup of Marsala and deglaze (scrape the bits off of the bottom of the pan)
• Add in 1 tsp. of finely chopped fresh rosemary & black pepper; simmer to reduce
  
• While the sauce is reducing, cook the pasta
• When the pasta is almost cooked, add the shrimp and beans to the sauce; cook until the shrimp are pink
• Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water
• Put a few big handfuls of spinach into a big bowl; pour over the pasta, and toss to wilt the spinach
• Add the sauce/shrimp mixture; toss to coat, adding some of the reserved pasta water if necessary