Perfetto Primavera

Has Lidia ever changed your dinner plans?

She’s a dangerous lady to watch when you’ve only got tentative dinner plans, trust me. That’s just the situation I found myself in on Sunday. Earlier in the day I had gone for a really long run, and then Isaac and I had gone on a not so long walk, but either way, I was sore, and tired, and felt that I had earned a kip on the couch.

But there was Lidia, back in Maremma, my favorite place in Italy, and dastardly lady that she is, she was making pasta with ceci and spinach, my favorite food in the world (pasta) combined with my favorite legume (chickpeas). And then, right after that, she made swiss chard with magic Tuscan beans. It was too much. Our dinner plans had to change.

I peeled myself off the couch and trotted off to the Korean bodega a few blocks away. I grabbed chard, and since I am often indecisive (and greedy) a can of ceci and a can of canellini beans, because, even as I was watching the show, the two separate recipes were combining into one.

We ate a lot of Italian food this weekend. We had been hoping to get away for the holiday, but for a number of reasons, that didn’t happen. So, we stuck around and indulged in the relative quietude the city sometimes offers on this first weekend of “summer.”

We went to Hearth for dinner on Saturday night for no reason other than we could. Wait, that’s not 100% true. We went to Hearth on Saturday night because the food is awesome and we could score a perfect reservation with no trouble. Our meal gave me a new faith in sauces and dressings. And then we breakfasted on the antipasti platter and a perfect pizza on Sunday at Adrienne‘s. And then on Monday night I whipped up my own “pizza” to go with a delightful salad (hopefully more on that pizza another time, because it was awesome).

And even after all that, I still think this pasta was the highlight of the weekend’s eats. It’s such an earthy, honest and goshdarnit, delicious dinner. Oh, and it’s easy and quick to make, too.

This recipe is perfect for busy moms with too many nearly grown men nipping at her heels, hounding her about dinner. It’s also perfect for the newbie entertainer that’s having his first dinner party and wants to impress the ladies but is afraid of messing up an expensive cut of meat. And, it’s perfect for a couple like me and Isaac that treasures delicious leftovers as the only way to survive our too busy weeks.

What I hope you take away from this is that this is a perfect dinner. Pour yourself a glass of crisp white wine, whip up a green garlic salad dressing to serve over the tiniest, most dainty spring greens and sit down with this pasta for a perfect evening. Enjoy!

Head below the jump for the recipe for Perfect Pasta with Beans & Greens.

Perfect Pasta with Beans & Greens

prep time: 10 minutes ~ cooking time: 15 minutes

• 2 lbs Swiss Chard
• Water
• 1 box dried Pasta, Gemelli or Cavatappi
• 1 or 2 pieces of Bacon, cut into lardons
• Olive Oil
• 1 large Onion, sliced
• 6-8 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 1 can Garbanzo Beans, rinsed
• 1 can Cannellini Beans, rinsed
• 1 Tomato, sliced
• Chile Flakes
• Salt & Pepper
• Grated Cheese, preferably Pecorino or Locatelli

Start a very large pot of water to boil over high heat. Cut the chard into bite sized pieces and wash well.

When the water is acting like it might boil soon, add a large glug of olive oil to a large sautée pan over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Cook the bacon until it becomes crispy then add the onion and the garlic. Stir to coat in the fat and cook until the onions are becoming golden brown.

While the onions are cooking, add the chard to the pot of boiling water and cook a few minutes until tender. Turn off the heat. Fish the chard out with a spider or slotted spoon into a colander placed in a large bowl. Move the bowl and colander to the sink and run very cold water over the greens to stop the cooking.

Add the beans, sliced tomato and chile flakes (to tase) to the onions and toss to coat in the oil. Season with salt & pepper.

Turn the heat back on under the chard water and add a big pinch of salt. Return to the boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and stir.

A few minutes into the cooking time, add the chard to the beans, toss to coat, then add a few spoons of the pasta/chard water to the sauce. Spoon the water into the middle of the pan, and when you see it reach the edges, you’ve added enough (how many spoonfuls it is depends on the size of your spoon).

When the pasta is cooked (al dente please), drain it. Serve the sauce over the pasta with lots and lots of cheese and a drizzle of good olive oil. Enjoy!

Cook’s Note: This makes enough for six people, or enough for two for dinner, plus leftovers good for two additional after-work dinners.

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