Pasta with Broccoli Raab, Goat Cheese, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Toasted Pine Nuts

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

 

I found this Wolfgang Puck Vegetarian Dish in another recipe group. Alas,

I've so long ago deleted the extraneous information from that digest,

including the name of the group, that I don't know to whom to give credit for

typing and sharing this yummy-looking recipe. My thanks to that anonymous

person, but I couldn't resist sharing this with you anyway. And thanks, of

course, to Wolfgang Puck.

 

Pasta with Broccoli Raab, Goat Cheese, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Toasted Pine

Nuts

 

Wolfgang Puck

When food lovers I know talk to me about their desire to eat more

healthily during the winter months, one thing I hear them say most often

is that they want to try to cook more vegetarian main courses. The next

words out of their mouths usually have something to do with worrying

that a main course of vegetables won't satisfy them. For this particular

recipe, commonly available bite-sized dried shapes such as bowties or

orecchiette do a great job of carrying the sauce and the other

ingredients. There you have it: A vegetable main course that will

satisfy anybody who sits down to your dinner table.

 

Ingredients

1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

3 C. broccoli raab cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces

2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 C. good quality canned chicken broth

1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves

4 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

4 oz. fresh, creamy goat cheese, crumbled

3/4 lb. dried bowtie or orecchiette pasta

4 Tbs. thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes

2 Tbs. pine nuts, toasted in a small skillet over low heat until golden,

3 to 4 minutes

 

Directions

Bring a large stockpot water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a 12-inch saute

pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli raab,

garlic, and red pepper flakes and saute, stirring frequently, until

bright green and tender-crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Season lightly with salt

and pepper and then transfer to a bowl and set aside. Still over

medium-high heat, add the chicken broth to the pan and stir and scrape

to deglaze the pan deposits. Add the thyme.

 

Bring the liquid to a boil and continue boiling briskly until it reduces

to half its original volume, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the goat cheese and

butter and stir until the goat cheese melts. Cover and keep warm. As

soon as the stockpot of water comes to a full boil, add a little salt to

the water. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, tender but still

chewy, following the manufacturer's suggested cooking time. Drain the

pasta and immediately add it to the pan of sauce along with the broccoli

raab and the sun-dried tomatoes.

 

Cook, stirring gently, over medium-low heat until all the ingredients

are heated through, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and

pepper. Divide the pasta among 4 heated serving plates or shallow pasta

bowls. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and serve immediately.

Yield: 4-6 servings

 

In Vino Veritas,

*´¨) Janis Abbe

.. ·´ ¸.·*¨) ¸.·*¨) ¸.·*¨ )

(¸.·´ (¸.*´ ¸.·´ `·-* *

Oenaphile, Logophile, Ailurophile, Bibliophile

" Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre

minds. " ~Albert Einstein

" A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest. " ~Paul Simon

" I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints; the sinners

are much more fun. " ~ Billy Joel