Orecchiette With White Beans And Chard Recipes

WHITE BEAN, TOMATO AND SAUSAGE ORECCHIETTE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the orecchiette according to package instructions.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with the back of a spoon, until it starts to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the sausage to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving all the oil in the skillet.
• Add the onions to the oil and cook until they start to soften and turn translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to blister and split, about 4 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
• Add the beans and return the sausage to the skillet. Cook until warmed through. Add the pasta and toss until it is completely coated. Add the Parmesan in batches, stirring to incorporate and letting it melt before more is added. Stir in the basil.
• Plate the pasta and top with more Parmesan and basil. Serve immediately.

ORECCHIETTE WITH GREENS, GARBANZO BEANS AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the garlic and discard. Add the Swiss chard and cook until wilted. In batches, add the spinach and cook until wilted. Add the beans and tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the pasta, 1/2 of the cheese, and lemon zest. Toss well and thin out the sauce with a little pasta water, if needed.
• Transfer to a large serving bowl and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve.

ORECCHIETTE WITH WHITE BEANS AND CHARD

Steps:

• To prepare the chard, strip the leaves off the stems. Coarsely chop the leaves and dice the stems into 1/2-inch chunks, keeping them separate.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the orecchiette and cook until just barely al dente (2 to 3 minutes less than the package instructs). Scoop out and reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water. Drain the pasta well; do not rinse.
• Return the empty pot to the burner on medium-high heat. Once the pot is dry and hot, add the pancetta with 1 tablespoon of the extra-virgin olive oil and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and most of the fat has rendered out, about 2 minutes. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and continue to cook until the onions are softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the chopped chard stems and continue to cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute longer.
• Add the beans and use a potato masher or spoon to gently mash about half of them (to break them down and thicken the sauce). Add the thyme or sage, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup of the pasta water and stir to combine. Cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Stir in the chard leaves, cover, and cook until the chard is tender, 2 to 3 more minutes.
• Add the drained pasta to the pot and stir to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, until the pasta is just al dente and the liquid has reduced to a creamy coating of sauce, 1 to 2 minutes longer. (Add a little more pasta water if it seems too dry.)
• Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of the Parmigiano. Taste and add more lemon juice or salt as needed. Garnish with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmigiano.
• Just about any type of chard will do, although red chard's pigment will bleed into the dish, and it also has a tendency to become bitter. You can also use kale or spinach instead of chard; kale will take a little longer to cook, spinach a little less.

GARLICKY WHITE BEANS, SAGE AND ORECCHIETTE

Steps:

• Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until it is tender.
• Cut fresh sage leaves into fine shreds; peel and mince garlic, chop parsley. Rinse and drain canned beans.
• Heat olive oil in a medium size saucepan. Add garlic and sage and cook for 10 seconds. Add wine and cook until evaporated, about a minute. Add beans, cover and simmer until heated through: 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm, covered, off heat, until pasta is done.
• Drain pasta and return it to the pot, off heat. Stir in bean mixture, toss well and serve immediately garnished with raw peppers. Pass cheese separately.

ORECCHIETTE WITH SAUSAGE, CHARD, AND PARSNIPS

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta, according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain pasta and return to pot.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add sausage and cook, breaking meat up with a wooden spoon, until browned, 3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to pot. Add parsnips to skillet and saute until softened and browned, 5 minutes. Add chard and cook until wilted, 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to pot and toss. Add Parmesan and enough pasta water to create a light sauce that coats pasta; season with salt and pepper. Serve with additional Parmesan.

ORECCHIETTE WITH FRESH AND DRIED BEANS AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• To cook dried beans, transfer with their soaking water to a heavy pot. Add more water as necessary to cover the beans with 1 1/2 to 2 inches of water. Over medium-high heat, bring to a gentle boil and skim away foam. Add onion and garlic, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes. Add salt to taste (I use at least a rounded teaspoon), cover and continue to simmer very gently for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the beans are tender all the way through and their texture is plush and velvety. Taste the bean broth and add more salt as necessary. Remove from heat. Let beans cool in the broth if not using right away.
• Place a strainer over a bowl and drain beans. Measure out 1 cup of the broth and combine with the tomato sauce or tomatoes in a wide pan or a pasta bowl.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add orecchiette. Boil 5 minutes and add green beans. Boil another 5 minutes, until pasta is cooked al dente. Drain and toss green beans and pasta with the cooked beans and tomato sauce or tomatoes. Add half the basil and toss again.
• Serve in wide bowls, garnishing each serving with fresh basil and Parmesan.

ORECCHIETTE WITH BUTTER BEANS, PARSLEY, CHILLI & LEMON

Steps:

• Cook the orecchiette following pack instructions until al dente, about 10 mins. Drain, reserving the cooking water.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the chillies and garlic for 2 mins until just softened. Mix in the butter beans, tomatoes, lemon zest and juice. Cook for 5 mins more, then scatter in the parsley and cook for another 2 mins. The tomatoes should have reduced slightly and the beans should be warmed through.
• Tip the orecchiette into the frying pan with the butter bean mixture. Pour in a little of the reserved pasta cooking water if you prefer a looser sauce. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with the cheese before serving, if you like.