Friday 14 October 2011

Twist 'n' Shout!

Fusilli con le Bietole, Pomodori Secchi e Olive Nere
Fusilli with Swiss Chard, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Black Olives


I often get asked just how much time I have to cook up these dishes, or how I manage to find the time- and the answer is simple. The dishes I make are all very quick and easy and I simply TAKE the time to prepare them. People saying they don't have time to cook may be kidding themselves- but they don't fool me! They are full of excuses- plain and simple. This dish took for example just 15 minutes to make- and you will be hard pushed to go out and get yourself a fast food meal any quicker. And this way you have something much healthier and more tasty!


For this meal I started out by boiling my pasta for 8 minutes. I put the pasta on the boil and at the same time, sautéed the stalks of the chard, cut into slices, in a little olive oil. After 2-3 minutes, I added the leaves, cut in strips, some finely chopped leek, some finely diced garlic, finely chopped parsley, salt, pepper, nutmeg and a little milk and let them simmer together. 



Cook the pasta according to the packaging- cooking times vary but it will be something like 8-10 minutes in all. After 7-8 minutes, drain the pasta and transfer it to the frying pan with the chard and add some finely sliced sun-dried tomato and olives. Add a little more milk and let the pasta finish cooking for 1-2 minutes and all of those flavors reduce down together. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a little freshly ground chili and and some grated Grana Padano cheese... and prepare to enjoy a wonderfully quick, healthy and delicious meal!

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