I Heart Cooking Clubs : Orecchiette with Greens, Garbanzo Beans and Ricotta Salata

The theme chosen for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs is California Dreamin' and I'm sure Giada's twist on a very regional dish as Orecchiette would be considered very Californian by any mamma pugliese making orecchiette by hand almost every day ! If you want to dare you should visit Natashya to get some tips !

My husband, who's not usually an orecchiette fan, loved the lemon that made this dish a 'spring is arriving' hint.

the recipe is here or ....

recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound orecchiette or other short pasta
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 12 ounces Swiss chard or mustard greens, stemmed
• 12 ounces baby spinach leaves
• 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups small cherry or grape tomatoes
• 8 ounces ricotta salata cheese, crumbled
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the garlic and discard. Add the Swiss chard and cook until wilted. In batches, add the spinach and cook until wilted. Add the beans and tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the pasta, 1/2 of the cheese, and lemon zest. Toss well and thin out the sauce with a little pasta water, if needed.

Transfer to a large serving bowl and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve.