A ragout is the perfect vehicle for sturdy greens, which stand up to gentle simmering and sweeten as they cook. I usually take a simple Mediterranean approach and simmer the greens with olive oil, tomatoes, onions and garlic. The result is a savory ragout that begs to be tossed with pasta. (This is not a ragù, the meat and tomato sauce.)
Broccoli leaves are my first choice for this dish because I like their sweet taste and texture. They are the wide green leaves that grow up around heads of broccoli. If you’re a gardener and you grow broccoli, you’ve probably cooked with them. On the stem, the greens look very much like collard greens, but they taste sweeter. They are cruciferous like collards and kale, but not as strong, and they soften more quickly when you cook them.
I’ve also made the ragout successfully with Chinese broccoli leaves and collard greens. The leaves from a generous bunch of Chinese broccoli are the closest substitute for broccoli leaves. You can chop the broccoli stems and flowers and use them in the ragout, too. Collards require an additional five to 10 minutes of cooking to soften properly.
My favorite pasta for this dish is farfalle. I love the way the vegetable ragout spreads over the flat bow ties and gathers in their center “knots.” Other good pasta choices include fusilli, penne or orecchiette. Add a little ricotta diluted with the pasta cooking water to the ragout, and you have a dish that’s creamy, too. It’s a truly comforting but light meal.
Ragout and Farfalle
Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red or yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1 serrano pepper, minced (seeded if desired)
1 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
Salt
Pinch of sugar
1/2 pound (about 5 cups, tightly packed) stemmed and coarsely chopped broccoli leaves, Chinese broccoli leaves or collards
Black pepper
3/4 pound farfalle or other pasta
1/2 cup ricotta
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Preparation
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet and add onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes or serrano. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute, and add tomatoes and thyme. Add salt to taste and a pinch of sugar. Cook tomatoes over medium heat, stirring often, until they have cooked down to a fragrant purée, about 10 minutes.
3. Add chopped broccoli leaves or collards, which should still have some water on them from washing. Add salt to taste. Stir greens and tomatoes until greens have collapsed, then turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Cover and simmer another 5 minutes. Add pepper, taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Meanwhile, when pasta water comes to a boil, salt generously and add pasta. Cook until al dente, usually 10 to 11 minutes. Have ricotta in a small bowl near pasta pot.
5. Stir 1/4 cup pasta water into ricotta and stir mixture into vegetables. Reserve about 1/4 cup pasta water. Drain pasta and toss with vegetable and ricotta mixture; add reserved water if desired. Add parsley, toss again and serve.
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