Penne With Chard And Leeks In A Walnut Cream Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Bring a large covered pot of water to a rapid boil. While the water heats, wash the spinach and transfer it to a separate large pot. The water clinging to the leaves should provide enough moisture to steam it. Cover and cook the spinach on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes, until wilted but still bright green. Drain. In a food processor or blender, combine the spinach, walnuts, cottage cheese, garlic, Parmesan, basil, and salt and pepper until smooth, working in batches if necessary. Add pepper to taste and set aside. When the water boils, stir in the pasta, cover, and return to a boil. Then uncover the pot and cook until the pasta is al dente, about 7 minutes. While the pasta cooks, cut the broccoli into spears, blanch it in boiling water to cover until just tender, about 5 minutes, and set it aside. Drain the pasta and serve immediately in individual warmed bowls, topped with spinach walnut sauce and several steamed broccoli spears. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, if you wish.

Steps:

• Fill a 4-quart kettle three-fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil for pasta.
• Chop Swiss chard into 1/4-inch-wide pieces and finely chop separately red pepper flakes and onion. In a 12-inch heavy skillet cook onion in butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add Swiss chard and cook, stirring, 15 minutes, or until tender.
• While Swiss chard mixture is cooking, cook pasta in boiling water until al dente and drain in a colander. Add pasta to Swiss chard mixture with red pepper flakes, cream, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat and stir in Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.

Steps:

• Rinse and drain separately the Swiss chard stems and leaves. In a large heavy skillet cook the red pepper flakes and the garlic in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until the garlic is pale golden, add the stems and 1/4 cup of the water, and cook the mixture, covered, for 5 minutes, or until the stems are just tender. Add the leaves with the remaining 1/4 cup water and salt and pepper to taste and cook the mixture, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook the mixture, covered, for 3 minutes, or until the leaves are tender.
• While the chard is cooking, in a kettle of salted boiling water boil the penne until it is al dente and drain it in a colander. In a large bowl toss the penne with the chard mixture and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and serve it with the additional Parmesan.