Compromised Spring Dinner
I just made a compromise with my family. They want pasta (AGAIN!!) and I want greens. I think pasta is my least favorite meal to make, even when I am making the pasta from scratch. I just don’t embrace the white flour. My son asks "what’s for dinner?" and I say dandelion greens and broccoli, and he asks "what are the other choices?"
Okay. How about dandelion and broccoli on pasta?
Compromised Spring Dinner
1 large onion minced7 cloves garlic minced½ cup extra virgin olive oil1 can white beans1 head dandelion greens, chopped1 head broccoli, cut into small pieces1 bunch watercress chopped fine½ pound of your favorite pasta
Heat a skillet with olive oil and add the onions and garlic and sauté until soft.
Boil a pot of salted water and drop in broccoli and cook for 4 minutes and then add the dandelion greens and cook for 3 more minutes and drain into another pot. Bring the drained water to a boil again and drop in the pasta and cook until al dente. Add half the onion mixture to the greens and place the other half of the onion mixture in a food processor with ½ cup water, the white beans, and 1 tablespoon salt (and a dash of nutmeg if you have it). Blend the white bean sauce until smooth and a bit like Béchamel.
Using the same pan the onion mixture was just in, add the greens and onion mixture back in the sauté pan and cook for 1 more minute making sure all the oil and onion mixture is well incorporated into the greens.
In a bowl for the veggie, green lover, place a handful of the watercress on the bottom of the bowl. Place the green onion mixture over the watercress and drizzle the white bean sauce over the greens.
For the pasta lover, add a bit more olive oil to the remaining greens and toss in the pasta. Pour the remaining white sauce over pasta and Voila! A meal to satisfy the whole family!
For the rest of the watercress I simply pour on a little lemon vinaigrette and served it as a salad. Loads of greens and everyone loved it! My 16 year old said the salad was the best he has ever had and it was only watercress, lemon and olive oil!