Penne with Braised Squash and Winter Greens
Come the cold, winter greens sweeten as their sugars, normally expended in flower production and growth, are held tight inside their freezing leaves and stems. This recipe can be locally enjoyed fresh until January, when our upstate farmers are digging kale, and even swiss chard, out of mounds of snow. Winter squash comes in a wide range of flavors, too, so don’t think this is a one-shot recipe. If on Monday, your recipe includes delicata squash and swiss chard, go crazy on Tuesday and try kabocha squash and some lacinato (dinosaur) kale!
As it gets cold, our bodies crave carbs. Don’t fight it; just do it right. Pasta “al dente” is far healthier than overcooked pasta, which, with its broken-down starches, is less nutritionally viable than unprocessed wheat. Also, the pasta will continue to cook in the hot sauce mixture, so feel free to keep it a touch crunchy. To up the ante from whole-wheat pasta, capture the vitamins and minerals of a grain’s endosperm by using whole-grain millet, quinoa, or amaranth instead of pasta. Your nose may wrinkle at the unfamiliar flavors at first, but the re-aquisition of your body’s natural love of whole grains will be a step towards a hearty, cold-and-flu-free winter.
Penne with Braised Squash and Winter Greens
Serves 4.
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 pound winter squash (butternut, kabocha, acorn, etc.), peeled and cut into 3/4″ cubes (about 3 cups)
1 small bunch Swiss Chard or other winter greens, leaves cut into 1″ ribbons
8 ounces whole wheat pasta (penne, rigatoni or fusilli)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1. Put water on to boil for pasta.
2. In a large pan, heat oil. Add onion, and cook ’til golden (about 2-3 minutes). Add garlic and crushed red pepper, stirring often. After 20 seconds, add broth and squash; bring to a simmer. Cover; let cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add chard and stir until covered with broth. Cover and cook an additonal five minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cook pasta until just tender* (8-10 minutes, to directions). Drain and return to pot. Add cheese, squash mixture, salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
Historical FYI: rainbow chard was introduced in the 1950s from New Zealand. Electrifyingly beautiful, its sweet taste comes from its counsinhood with beets, another lovely wintering crop.
Tuesday November 25th, 2008 in Fall, Recipes | No comments »