Pasta and Greens, Sausage and Beans

Pasta and Greens, Sausage and Beans

Pasta and Greens, Sausage and Beans might sound like a carb overload, but after tasting this deceptively simple dish, you won’t care.  Beans and greens are a classic pairing in Italian cucina povera (poor food).  Adding sausage and pasta elevates  the dish some, but not too much. This is comfort food, meant to be easy on your budget and something you can just throw together in a hurry.

Usually this is made with Swiss chard, but I am not a fan. You can use any green you like. Even collards.  You will need to adjust the cooking times depending on the greens you use. The magic of this dish is in the different textures. To this end, do not overcook the pasta and use Parmesan shavings and not the shaker cheese stuff.

 

Servings: 4-6

Time:  Active time: 15 minutes; Cook: 40 minutes; Dinner in under an hour

Hardware:  a large pot, a colander, measuring cups and spoons, a cutting board and knife, a large skillet with a lid, a plate, tongs, a can opener, a large ladle

 Ingredients

• 12 ounces rigatoni pasta
• 4 sweet Italian sausage links
• ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1-15-ounce can cannelloni (white kidney) beans
• 8 ounces of baby spinach
• 2 tablespoons of shaved Parmesan
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• water
• salt

1.  Wash the spinach.
2. Place links in the skillet and add enough water to cover them.
3. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 -12 minutes.
4. Pour off about half the water and return the skillet to the stove. Cook on medium high, uncovered, until the water evaporates. Continue to cook, turning often until the sausage is browned. Turn off the heat and remove the sausage to the plate. Allow the sausage to rest while you put on the pasta water.
5. Put the pasta onto boil and cook following the package directions. DO NOT overcook. Throw the spinach in during the last 2 minutes of boiling.
6. While the pasta is boiling, slice the sausage into bite sized pieces. Return the sausage, all the juices, the rosemary and the entire contents of can of beans to the skillet over medium low heat. Add 2 ladles of pasta water and the pepper flakes. Bring to a very low simmer. You are just allowing the flavors to meld; you are not cooking anything. Don’t allow this to cook for more than 2 minutes.
7. Add the drained pasta, spinach and Parmesan cheese to the sausage and gently toss everything. Taste and adjust the salt.
8. Serve right away with crusty bread.

Parsley Pesto

Parsley Pesto and Shrimp

When you hear the word pesto, you probably think basil. We love Basil Pesto here! However, the word roughly translates to “has been crushed.’ So, really you could use many herbs to make pesto. I am going to do just that.

This is Parsley Pesto. Which is made the exact same way as basil pesto except you use parsley! (Read that in my most sarcastic voice.) You also substitute walnuts for the traditional pine nuts. I used Pecorino Romano cheese because it has a sharper taste than does Parmesan. I thought parsley needed something sharper. You can use Parmesan if you want to though.

I put a pot of fettuccine on to boil. In the 12 minutes the pasta was boiling, I pan fried lightly salted shrimp and sweet, cherry tomatoes. Pan frying means that you fry the food without oil. This technique works best in a very hot cast iron pan and helps maintain the moisture in the food you are cooking. If you don’t have a suitable pan, use a sparing amount of olive oil to fry the shrimp. When I flipped the shrimp, I added about ¼ cup Parsley Pesto and ½ cup pasta water to the pan. I stirred everything until the pesto and the pasta water made a light sauce. I served the parsley Pesto Shrimp over the fettuccine and garnished the dish with toasted walnuts and more grated cheese. So very good!

Servings:  1 cup
Time:  10 minutes
Hardware:  Measuring cups and spoons, a food processor or blender, a strainer, a rubber spatula, and an airtight container

 Ingredients:

• 2 packed cups fresh parley
• 4 ounces of the best Pecorino Romano cheese you can afford
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces of walnuts 
• 3 cloves garlic of garlic
• ½ teaspoon of salt

1.  Wash the parley leaves and set them aside in a strainer to dry.
2. Chunk up the cheese and place it and the in the food processor and pulse a few times until the cheese is the size of small gravel. Scrape the cheese into the container.
3. Place the garlic and the walnuts into the food processor and pulse 3 or four times. Scrape this onto the cheese.
4. Place the parsley and the salt into the food processor and turn on. The parsley will become almost a paste. You may need to stop and scrape the sides.
5. Add everything back into the processor and turn it on. With the processor still running, slowly add the olive oil. Everything should begin to blend.
6. Stop and scrape down the sides the spatula a few times. Taste and adjust the salt.
7. Store in the fridge until ready to use.