FARFALLE WITH GREENS AND ASIAGO by Linda Watts, Registered Nutritionist
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ot all nutritionists come out of the womb loving healthy food. When I was a kid I hated every vegetable known to mankind. Green vegetables were the worst. To this day looking at a package of frozen spinach still sends a shiver down my spine. Popeye’s favourite food always created a power struggle at our dinner table. My mother tried to coerce me into eating the green wet lump on my plate by smothering it with butter.“Linda, you don’t know what you’re missing. It tastes like popcorn,” she’d say. Kids will believe a lot of what their parents tell them but the idea that spinach tasted like popcorn was too much for my young brain; my mother was clearly playing me for a fool. Over the years, I’ve come to love leafy greens. Now, fresh spinach is folded into steaming risotto or wilted in salads dressed with warm vinaigrettes. Arugula is mixed into salads or tucked into sandwiches. Hardier greens like Swiss chard, kale and rapini are sauteed with garlic, shallots and lemon or simmered in soups. One of my favorite dishes is Farfalle with Greens and Asiago. It’s a quick, inexpensive and nutritious meal. Any kind of leafy green works here but if using Swiss chard or kale, discard the tough stalks . If you don’t have farfalle (bow-tie pasta) substitute with other short pastas like penne. Don’t be put off by the amount of olive oil and garlic in the recipe. The garlic mellows out while simmering in the oil. And eating leafy greens with fat make prominent nutrients like beta-carotene, Vitamin K and Vitamin E more available to our bodies for absorption.
Serves 4 to 6 What you need ½ cup (125 mL) extra-virgin olive oil 6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced 3 tablespoon (45 mL) drained capers ½ cup (125 mL) chopped sun-dried tomatoes 1 teaspoon (5 mL) dried red pepper flakes 1 pound (500 grams) farfalle 3/4 pound (375 grams) washed greens, roughly chopped 1 cup (250 mL) freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper Optional garnish : toasted walnuts or pine nuts What to do In a small saucepan warm oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and stir until slightly golden, approximately 4 minutes. Add capers, sun-dried tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Stir together and remove from heat. Set aside. Cook pasta until tender but still firm to the bite. If using hardy greens like kale, chard or rapini, put into boiling water with the pasta for the last 3 minutes of pasta cooking time. Stir well to combine with the pasta. Drain pasta and greens, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Place pasta and greens in a large serving bowl (tender greens like arugula or spinach are placed directly in serving bowl; they aren’t cooked with pasta). Add garlic, caper and sun-dried tomato mixture along with grated cheese. Toss well. Season with salt and pepper according to taste. Add reserved pasta water if needed to moisten. Serve immediately. Linda Watts is a Registered Nutritionist. Send questions to wattslin@gmail.com
QUALICUM BEACH ROTARY WINE FESTIVAL The year’s greatest deal for local food and wine lovers is fast approaching! The 2013 Qualicum Beach Rotary Wine Festival is set for Saturday, April 13th, from 7 to 9pm, at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre. Support the community’s Volunteer Firefighters’ Camp and other charities by
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sampling a number of wines and noshing hot and cold appetizers.
Centre, Memorial Compounding Centre, or any Rotarian.
Wine education seminar given by an industry expert. Safe ride home program provided by Island Chauffeur. Tickets ($30) are available at local Mulberry Bush Bookstores, Qualicum Medicine
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For information call 250-752-8345.
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