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Orecchiette con Cime di Rape

Y'all probably get sick of me preparing variations of this dish. But, really, what could be better? Warm pasta, sauteed garlic and red pepper flakes, a little bit of oil. And maybe, if you're feeling frisky, a sauteed green to keep it balanced. It's just delicious.

This particular version comes to you highly recommended, especially if you find yourself with an abundance of various greens that you want to use up. For this sample, I mixed turnip greens with beet greens and kale.


Orecchiette con Cime di Rape

1 lb orecchiette or other short pasta
1 1/4 lb turnip tops or other tender spring green (I used a combination of turnip tops, beet leaves, and kale)
salt
4 T olive oil
5 cloves garlic
2 tsp red pepper flakes

Wash the greens and cut into thins strips. Heat a large pot of salted water. When it is boiling, plunge in the greens and blanch. Do not overcook; they should remain crisp and bright green. I blanched mine for about 30 seconds. Remove and drain, but preserve the water.

Bring the water back to a boil. Add the pasta and cook.

While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a pan. Add chopped garlic and pepper flakes. Stir until garlic is golden.

When pasta is almost ready, put greens back into the pan and cook with the pasta for the last 3 minutes. Drain thoroughly. Turn into a large, warmed serving dish (or return to the now empty cooking pot). Stir well and add the hot oil mixture. Stir to combine and serve hot.

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