Seasonal eating is easy in summer when produce at the local farmers’ markets and supermarkets is abundant. But in winter, across wide areas of the world, the options tend to dwindle after the fall harvest. However, with a little creativity, you can create satisfying meals with seasonal ingredients – root vegetables, winter squashes, kale and other winter greens. Cooking greens range from the very tender and quick-cooking spinach to the hearty fibrous varieties of kale. These nutritious, tasty recipes are fairly quick to prepare and are useful on these busy days while you are getting ready for the holidays. You can use any type of pasta that you have in your pantry for these recipes. You can even combine 2 half packages to use them up.
Pasta with Kale and Anchovy Sauce
Use the same pot of water to blanch the greens before boiling the pasta and then finish the dish in the same pot. This dish is quick, easy, nutritious and works with any type of greens.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale (collard greens, turnip greens, chard also work)
- 1 tablespoon salt plus more to taste
- 1 lb. penne
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3/4 cups freshly shredded Parmesan, Asiago or aged Pecorino cheese
Directions
Trim and wash greens, leaving the leaves whole.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt to the boiling water. Add greens and blanch until wilted, from 30 seconds for chard to 2 minutes for kale. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the leaves to a colander and rinse them under cool water.
Reboil water and add pasta. Cook pasta until tender to the bite. Drain, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and set aside.
Chop anchovies, garlic and cooked greens separately.
Once pasta is drained, return pot to medium high heat. Add oil, garlic, pepper flakes and anchovies. Cook, stirring, until the garlic just turns golden.
Add chopped greens and stir to combine. Add reserved pasta cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Add pasta, stir to combine. Take off the heat.
Stir in half of the shredded cheese. Taste and add salt, if you like.
Divide between plates or pasta bowls, garnish with remaining shredded cheese and serve.
Broccoli Walnut Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz. pasta shells, penne, or fusilli or a combination (whole wheat is better)
- 2 lbs. broccoli
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup walnuts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup freshly shredded pecorino, parmesan, or other hard grating cheese, plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon salt for pasta water, 1/2 teaspoon salt for sauce
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roughly chop the walnuts and spread them on a baking sheet or piece of foil and bake until toasted, 5 to 10 minutes. Set a timer and check on them – walnuts go from toasted to burnt very quickly. Set the walnuts aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the salt. Add the pasta and cook until tender to the bite. When the pasta is almost done, scoop out 1 cup of the cooking water and reserve it. Drain the pasta.
Trim the broccoli, peel the stalks and separate the crowns into large florets. Cut the florets into smaller ones, about 1/2-inch across. Chop the stems into small pieces. Set aside.
Peel and finely chop the garlic and set aside.
In a large sauté pan with a cover over medium-high heat, add the oil, the broccoli and the 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli turns bright green, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and the red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add about 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta-cooking water to the broccoli. Cover pan, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the broccoli in tender to the bite, 3 to 5 minutes. Add more pasta-cooking water if the pan gets dry.
Add the drained pasta to the broccoli, toss to combine well. Add the walnuts and toss to combine. Add the cheese and toss to combine. Taste and add more salt, if you like. Serve hot, topped with more cheese.
Creamy Spinach Pasta
Ingredients
- 10-oz. bag of spinach leaves
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 8 oz. fusilli, corkscrew or rotini pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
Directions
If baking as a casserole, preheat oven to 375°F. Butter an 8-by-8 baking dish, if you’re making the casserole version.
Rinse and trim spinach. Chop garlic finely.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and add the pasta. Cook until pasta is tender to the bite. Drain pasta and return pot to the stove over medium-high heat.
Add olive oil and garlic to the pasta pan, cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add spinach and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir until spinach wilts, cover, and cook until completely wilted, about 2 minutes.
Stir in cream and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook to blend flavors, about 2 minutes.
Add nutmeg and black pepper. Add pasta and stir to combine thoroughly – the greens will want to stick together, so you will need to break them up a bit, if you want them evenly distributed in the pasta. Cover and cook so the pasta can soak up some of the liquid, about 2 minutes.
Stir in half of the cheese. Either serve as is in pasta bowls topped with the rest of the cheese or transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and the mixture is bubbling and starting to brown on top, about 15 minutes.
Zucchini Pasta
Ingredient
- 2 lbs. zucchini
- 2 garlic cloves
- 12 large basil leaves
- 1/3 cup (pignoli) pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon salt, divided
- 3/4 lb. fusilli or similar pasta
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Cut each zucchini into 3-inch long matchsticks 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. Chop the garlic and cut the basil leaves into thin ribbons.
In a large frying pan over medium heat, toast pine nuts, stirring constantly, until just turning golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl or plate and set aside.
In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the olive oil and increase heat to high. Add half of the zucchini and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the zucchini is soft and brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate, leaving as much of the fat in the pan as possible. Repeat with other half of the zucchini and another 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Set the pan and the zucchini aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt to the boiling water and cook the pasta until tender to the bite. Drain the pasta.
Return the reserved pan to medium heat, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and add the garlic, cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the reserved zucchini and pine nuts and cook, stirring, until combined. Add the zucchini mixture and the basil to the cooked pasta. Toss to combine thoroughly. Add half of the cheese and toss to combine well—the cheese will melt a bit to make a sauce. Divide the pasta among serving plates and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and pepper. Serve immediately.
Gnocchi With Chard & Ricotta
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch green Swiss chard (golden, red or rainbow chard are ok, but know that they will tint the entire dish)
- Salt
- 1 package (approx. 1 lb.) potato gnocchi
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Cut stems out of chard leaves (make a “v” around the stem to cut out as much of the stem as possible). Chop stems and leaves separately and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and add chopped chard stems. Cook until almost tender, about 3 minutes. Add gnocchi and chopped chard leaves. Cook until gnocchi are cooked through and float to the top of the water, about 3 minutes. Drain.
Put gnocchi and chard in a large bowl and toss with ricotta. Add nutmeg, pepper and salt to taste. Toss to combine.
Put gnocchi mixture in a generously greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Heat broiler on high.
Sprinkle gnocchi with Parmesan cheese. Broil until cheese melts and the entire dish gets browned and crispy.
Related articles
- Eggplant and Mushroom Pasta Sauce (haapsandbarley.wordpress.com)
- Perfect pre-Christmas pasta (tuscasteasers.wordpress.com)
- Kale Pesto Pasta from True Food (perfectgenediet.wordpress.com)
- Sausage and Kale Pasta (homeintimefordinner.wordpress.com)
- http://jovinacooksitalian.com/2013/02/11/how-to-store-and-cook-winter-greens/
- http://jovinacooksitalian.com/2013/01/14/new-ideas-for-winter-vegetables/
