Swiss Chard Ragu With Penne Pasta : Learning From Mario Batali

 A few weeks ago I had borrowed  books by Mario Batali and Mark Ladner's Molto Gusto's" Easy Italian Cooking" from the library. I have watched Mario Batali cook so effortlessly and heard great reviews about food at his restaurants. So, in pursuit of learning to cook and learn a technique or two from this cook book, I tried this pasta recipe. It was pretty simple to make and I admit that, it is the best pasta that I have made so far. What did I learn from this recipe? To use pasta water and cold butter as base sauce for the pasta. I did add Italian seasoning to the recipe and not add the cheese that was suggested as we had allergies to deal with. In spite of it all, I was so proud of learning to make simple pasta taste delicious. 

Gadgets:

Cutting Board
Knife
Colander
Stock pot to make pasta
Frying Pan
Spatula
Laddle


Ingredients:
Serves 6
Onion - 1 big sliced
Swiss Chard - 1 bunch chopped
Cold Butter - 4 tbsp
Salt
Pepper
Penne pasta - 1 packet
Garlic Pods - 5
Olive Oil - 3 tbsp
Pasta Water - 1 cup plus more if you are reheating the pasta for later
Italian Seasoning - as per spice levels
Bread Crumbs/ Croutons/ Rusk  grated - 1/2 cup

Preparation:

1. Start to prepare pasta as per the instructions on the packet.

2. Heat a heavy pan with olive oil, when it warms up add sliced garlic, thinly sliced onions and cook them a little before adding the swiss chard. Add some salt, cover and let them cook until tender for 7 minutes.

3. Add pepper, butter and allow it to cook for a few minutes.

4. When the pasta is done drain and keep aside the pasta water. Pour 1/4 cup at a time to the swiss chard mix to create a sauce.

5. Toss in the pasta and 3/4 cup pasta water. Allow it to cook a little to blend in all the flavors.

6. Add Italian seasoning on top as per taste and garnish with grated croutons or toasted bread crumbs and serve hot.