Pasta With Spinach Beans And Pancetta Food

PASTA WITH SPINACH, BEANS AND PANCETTA

Steps:

• Bean sauce -- In a large saute pan, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and saute the pancetta until lightly brown. Then add the onion, red pepper flakes and continue cooking until the onion is slightly soft and translucent. Then add the beans, salt and pepper, wine, chicken broth, and parsley. Simmer 10-15 minutes on low. Mash up the beans slightly with a fork. The beans will naturally thicken the sauce.
• Pasta -- While the beans cook, start cooking your pasta according to directions.
• Spinach -- Now . while the beans simmer and the pasta cook, lets make the spinach. In a large skillet heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil and butter. Add the garlic and cook just a minute until lightly browned, then add the tomatoes and cook 3-4 minutes until they start to break down. Next, add the spinach and cook until lightly wilted just a couple of minutes, not too long. Add additional salt and pepper and cook until spinach is slightly wilted.
• Combine -- Drain the pasta, (reserve a little of the water) and toss with the bean mixture, parmesan cheese, and the spinach mixture. Add a little of the pasta water if you would like a little more sauce. I also like to drizzle just a bit of good olive oil the top. ENJOY!
• Some good toasted baguettes are perfect with this. Just topped with a little olive oil is all.

PASTA AND BEANS: PASTA E FAGIOLI

Steps:

• Heat a deep pot over medium high heat and add oil and pancetta. Brown the pancetta bits lightly, and add herb stems, bay leaf, chopped vegetables, and garlic. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. Add beans, tomato sauce, water, and stock to pot and raise heat to high. Bring soup to a rapid boil and add pasta. Reduce heat to medium and cook soup, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes or until pasta is cooked al dente. Rosemary and thyme leaves will separate from stems as soup cooks. Remove herb stems and bay leaf from soup and place pot on table on a trivet. Let soup rest and begin to cool for a few minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and top with lots of grated cheese. Pass crusty bread for bowl mopping.

PASTA WITH ROASTED GARLIC, PANCETTA AND ARUGULA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Trim hairy root and green stem from green garlic, or trim 1/4-inch off top of regular garlic, making sure to expose all cloves.
• Place garlic in a small, shallow baking dish, root side down, and drizzle each with a little olive oil. Cover dish with foil. Roast until cloves or bulbs are golden brown, about 40 minutes to 1 hour (green garlic will cook faster than regular garlic). If bottom of dish starts to burn before garlic is roasted, add one tablespoon water. Transfer to a rack to cool. Garlic can be roasted up to one day ahead; wrap well and store in refrigerator.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente.
• While pasta cooks, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add pancetta and red pepper flakes. Sauté until pancetta is golden and crisp around edges, about 5 minutes.
• Peel outside layer of green garlic, or if using regular garlic, squeeze cloves from their papery skins. Chop roasted garlic, and add to skillet with lemon juice and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes.
• Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Add drained pasta and arugula to skillet, place over low heat, and toss until arugula wilts. Add just enough cooking water to scrape up brown bits in pan (do this 1 tablespoon at a time). Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve with Parmesan.

FETTUCCINE WITH BEANS & PANCETTA

Steps:

• Put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, separate the rashers of pancetta and cook them in two batches (without oil) in a large non-stick frying pan until the fat on the pancetta is golden. Lift out onto a plate to crisp up.
• When the water is boiling, add salt and the pasta to the pan and boil for 6 mins. Tip in the beans, quickly return to the boil and cook for about 4 mins more until both the pasta and beans are just tender.
• Drain and tip into a large serving bowl. Toss with the crème fraîche, chives or basil and plenty of seasoning, then quickly tear in the crisp pancetta (keeping it quite chunky). Serve with the Parmesan, if you like, a simple tomato salad and some crusty bread.

ITALIAN WHITE BEAN AND PANCETTA SOUP

Steps:

• In an 8-quart pot, saute pancetta in the olive oil until soft, about 10 minutes. Add onion and celery; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with sage, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Pour in the chicken stock, cover, and bring to a boil. Stir in the drained beans, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in 4 quarts boiling water with 1 teaspoon salt until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and add to the soup.
• Stir in minced parsley before serving, and sprinkle with grated cheese.

SAUTEED SPINACH WITH CRISP PANCETTA

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium. Add pancetta; cook until crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to a paper-towel-lined plate; reserve fat in skillet.
• Add as much spinach as will fit in skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing spinach and adding more as it wilts. Continue to cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and pour off excess liquid; stir in lemon juice. Top with pancetta.

PASTA WITH BEANS AND SPINACH PARMESAN

Steps:

• Cook pasta until just tender.
• Ladle 1 cup of pasta cooking liquid into bowl and reserve.
• Drain pasta.
• Saute onion& garlic in oil, then add 1 T water to skillet& cook over medium heat until onion is golden and tender, stirring often.
• Add 1 c reserved pasta cooking liquid, spinach& tomatoes to skillet.
• Cover& cook until spinach wilts, about 3 minutes.
• Add cannellini beans& pasta.
• Cover& cook until heated, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in cheese& season with salt& pepper.