Rigatoni with Escarole, Pinenuts and Goat Cheese
- 4
Ingredients:
2 heads escarole
1 lb rigatoni
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced or grated on a micro plane
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 ounces goat cheese, divided
Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
2 tablespoons toasted pinenuts
Instructions:
Chop and wash escarole. Trim the darkest green ends of the leaves from the heads of escarole, about 1⁄2 inch of the top and discard any wilted or bruised outer leaves. Roughly chop the remaining lettuce, discarding the core. Wash the lettuce and set aside to drain.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
Start the sauce. Place a wide-bottomed pot with 4 tablespoons of olive oil, the garlic and red pepper flakes over medium heat.
Wilt the escarole. When the garlic begins sizzle and smell sweet, add all of the escarole at once with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Stir occasionally as the escarole begins to wilt.
Cook the pasta. While the escarole is cooking, drop the pasta into the boiling water to cook. When the pasta softened but still a bit crunchy, 7 to 9 minutes.
Finish. Transfer the cooked pasta to the pot of escarole and stir well with a wooden or plastic spoon. Scoop 1 cup of the pasta cooking water into a bowl and whisk in the goat cheese. Add more water as needed until the cheese is the consistency of heavy cream. Add the cheese to the pot and bring the entire mixture to a simmer. Cook approximately 1 minute or until the mixture is slightly thickened and the pasta tender.
Serve. Remove the pot from heat, stir in the lemon juice and olive oil. Season to taste and divide between 4 plates. Garnish with the remaining goat cheese and pinenuts.