Pasta with Tender Greens

Name: Pasta with Tender Greens
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients: 1 pound tender leafy greens (such as chard, spinach, or young beet greens); 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing the pasta; 4 plump garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced; 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for cooking pasta; 1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes, or to taste; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 pound dry fettuccine (preferably made with egg); 1 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for passing; A heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan, 12-inch diameter or larger, with a cover; a large pot, 8-quart capacity or larger, with a cover, for cooking the pasta

December 9, 2011

Here’s a typically simple, rustic pasta from Umbria, which would be made with seasonal local leafy greens, both cultivated and foraged wild varieties. Although we don’t have many of the same choices as in Italy, there are plenty of suitable leafy greens available in our American markets now. Certainly chard, spinach, and common chicory are delicious in this dish, and young beet, collard, dandelion, mustard, or turnip greens would be good, too. Many dried pastas are delicious with this dressing of greens, and I particularly like dried egg fettuccine (with its extra richness and color); gemelli and orecchiette are also good choices. And I love homemade fresh gnocchi with this sauce, too.

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