Spelt pasta with smoked salmon

You know I’d sooner have kung pao chicken than a dish I spent ages trying to find a category for, apart from Kaja’s favourite, “Healthy”. Still, my parents taught me to be open-minded and tolerant of other people’s whims.

I have no idea what “spelt pasta” is. I have no idea if I even want to know. If you’re interested, I refer you to what Kaja has to say about it.

Oh, one more thing: Kaja says something about censorship and photos. Don’t believe her. Sometimes she spends too long at CrossFit and gets a bit CrossFit-witted 😉 Besides, she knows by now (after treating me to what was, I admit, an excellent pecan pie) that I’m allergic to walnuts and can’t eat them. If there really were censorship. Get it?

Right then, the recipe.

“Turns out most of my contributions to the blog are in the dessert section. Lately lots of people have been complimenting me on my cakes, my recipes and my food photos (sorry, Prymitywna Kuchnia, but I just can’t take ugly photos. I have this knack for making even a botched dish look like a little work of culinary art in a photo – hahaha – note from Prymitywna Kuchnia). But when someone at the gym asked me recently for a good main dish, I was lost for words.

A complete blank. Nothing came to mind on the spot. Wake me in the middle of the night and I can give you a million ideas for muffins, cakes, biscuits, puddings and porridge. But a healthy savoury dish? My mind went blank. It took two hours of pedalling before I could think of anything at all.

Hence today’s dish. It’s not actually the one I dreamed up while dripping sweat. It does make an ideal recovery meal after a tough workout, though. If you need to hit your carb window, I thoroughly recommend it. It’s quick and easy to make! And – no surprises here – it’s healthy too.

I used wholemeal spelt pasta. I’d never tried it, but recently spotted it in the organic section of a shop and thought I’d give it a go. I won’t write about the other health benefits or the gym, because the blog censor’s on the lookout. I’ll just add that it’s a good meal after a half-marathon too…”

At a glance: 

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Serves: two average people (WTF? There are no average people, everyone’s special 😉 – note from Prymitywna Kuchnia)

Calories: it’s to replenish your carbs after the gym, so they don’t count.

Ingredients for pasta with salmon:

• 200 g wholemeal spelt pasta (available in most supermarkets; other wholegrain pasta will do)
• 100 g smoked salmon
• a clove of garlic
• a handful of walnuts (if you’re allergic, I’d leave these out)
• a bunch of fresh basil
• olive oil
• salt

Method (Kaja in the Primitive Kitchen):

Put a large pan of water on for the pasta. Meanwhile, toast the walnuts in a frying pan until lightly browned (toasted nuts are more fragrant than “raw” ones).

Cut the salmon into small pieces. Chop the basil, garlic and walnuts (don’t turn them to dust – you want to feel the texture of the nuts). Add salt and the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions. It turns out spelt pasta cooks very quickly (4 minutes is enough for al dente).

Drain the cooked pasta and divide it between the plates. Arrange the salmon, walnuts, basil and garlic on top. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil. All done! Enjoy!