Whole wheat fettuccine with fennel, dandelions, tomatoes, pine nuts, and cheese
Having had no time for breakfast, we were ravenous by late morning (especially with all the yard work that’s in progress), so I thought I’d make us a substantial, yet healthy pasta dish for lunch. The best recipes are sometimes derived from simple necessity. Today, for example, I decided it was necessary to clear out all perishables before shopping for more, and that’s what I would use for my lunch for two: fennel, tomatoes on the vine, parsley, green onions and, among other things, dandelion greens! Yes, they are bitter but I was determined to use them as an accent to my dish, not the focus, and so I did, as follows.
Ingredients
1 small bunch dandelion greens, hard stems discarded, washed, blanched & chopped
3 small vine ripe tomatoes, cut in half and sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 green onions, sliced into small rounds, ends discarded
1/2 head of fennel, thinly sliced
2-3 Tbsp pine nuts
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup good olive oil, divided
1/2 lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped parsley
shredded mozzarella and greated parmigiano to taste
salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste
a pinch of brown sugar
whole wheat fettuccine (I use Setaro pasta; the texture of their whole wheat is perfect!)
Preparation
In a sauté pan, heat some of the olive oil and add the fennel slices, sauteeing for a few minutes over medium heat. Add the dandelion greens, garlic and green onions and stir, seasoning with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. To help counter the bitterness of the dandelion greens, I also added a pinch of brown sugar. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Now add the chicken stock, lemon juice, tomatoes, chopped parsley, and remaining olive oil to the pan with the vegetables and stir over low-medium heat to blend the flavors for about 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. You should have a nicely sautéed vegetable mixture in a pool of reddish broth. Cover and remove from heat.
Add the fettuccine to the boiling water. For two people the amount to use should fit nicely loose in the palm of your hand, like a tennis racquet. Once the pasta is al dente, turn off the heat, drain it and divide into two plates. Add the vegetable and broth on top, sprinkle with the two cheeses, pine nuts, and some fennel fronds (optional), more ground pepper, and serve while steaming hot.
PS: The natural sweetness of the fennel and pine nuts provide a nice balance to the pungent dandelion greens, and it seems the pinch of sugar helped too! Next time I’ll throw in a few currants as well.
RSA
