Region: Italy
Category: Pasta with Vegetables and Meat
Season: Fall
Difficulty: Easy and Quick
This dish tastes great, but for a beautifully colored dish use yellow-stemmed Swiss chard which you will cook until tender and sliver lengthwise into thin strips resembling spaghetti which gives the dish a pretty yellow tinge.
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Preparation Time: 35 minutes
6 slices bacon
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
¾ pound spaghetti
1 pound yellow-stemmed Swiss chard, washed well, stems removed from leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 ½ cup freshly and finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1. In a flameproof casserole, cook the bacon until nearly crispy over medium heat, about 8 minutes. Remove the bacon and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat. Cut the bacon into ½-inch squares and set aside. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to the casserole and heat of medium heat. Add the garlic and cook 15 seconds
2. For every pound of pasta, bring 6 quarts water to a rolling boil, then salt abundantly, up to ½ cup salt. Add the Swiss chard stems and cook 5 minutes. Remove the stems with a skimmer and add the leaves and cook until wilted thoroughly, about 4 minutes. Remove the leaves. Drain the leaves well and chop coarsely. Save the water because you will cook the spaghetti in it. Cut the chard stems into slivers lengthwise. Transfer the Swiss chard to the casserole.
3. Cook the Swiss chard until very soft, about 12 minutes. Add the bacon and season with salt and pepper. Cook another 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
4. Make sure the pot of water is boiling, then cook the spaghetti in the same water as the Swiss chard until al dente. Drain and transfer to the casserole with the Swiss chard leaves. Toss well for about 2 minutes, adding the remaining olive oil, over medium heat, then serve with the Parmesan cheese on top.
Variation: You can use pancetta in place of bacon.
Note:
Posted: 12/01/2008
