Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Fusilli a la Crazy Bastard

Yesterday I told you to stay tuned so you could see what I did with my beet greens.  Well, I made Fusilli (penne in my case) a la Crazy Bastard.  I'm sorry but honestly how can you resist making a dish with that type of name?!  The origins of the name...I haven't a clue.  But if you know, please do share!

I had no idea that you could use beet greens in cooking but it works just like any other green like kale or chard or spinach.  In fact, don't let not having beet greens keep you from making this dish.  I threw in some bell peppers and red onions for good measure.  It's good.  Especially if you're a goat cheese lover.

Go ahead and try it, you crazy person, you!


Fusilli a la Crazy Bastard
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Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup walnut halves
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound fusilli pasta (I used penne)
  • 3 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1/2 pound beet greens, rinsed and coarsely chopped
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 pound soft goat cheese, thickly sliced
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese  
 Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toast the walnuts for 7 minutes, until lightly browned; let cool slightly. Coarsely chop and transfer to a bowl.
  2. Raise the oven temperature to 450°. On the rimmed baking sheet, toss the cherry tomatoes with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes for about 10 minutes, until browned in spots.
  3. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the fusilli. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until golden, 2 minutes. Add the roasted tomatoes, beet greens and crushed red pepper and cook, crushing the tomatoes slightly, until the greens are just wilted, 3 minutes.
  4. Drain the fusilli, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta, the reserved cooking water and the sliced goat cheese to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, tossing to coat the pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the pasta to a bowl, garnish with the chopped toasted walnuts, top with the Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve immediately.
Source: Originally from Food and Wine as seen on Savory Spicy Sweet

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