Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Penne with Balsamic Sweet Potatoes
(Makes 4 generous servings; recipe created by Kalyn)
Ingredients:
1 large orange-fleshed sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (often called yams in U.S. stores)
1 T + 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2-3 oz. baby arugula or spinach (or can use other chopped greens, but they will need to be sauteed separately)
2 cups (dry) penne pasta (I used Dreamfields pasta)
1 T good-quality balsamic vinegar (or a little more)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste (for seasoning sweet potatoes)
2/3 cup coarsely-grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. While the water heats, peel sweet potatoes and cut them into 1 inch pieces. Heat olive oil in a large heavy frying pan (big enough to hold the finished pasta dish) and begin to saute the sweet potatoes over medium heat, stirring occasionally so they don't burn on one side.
When water boils, add the pasta, stir, and let it come back to a boil; then lower the heat to a medium simmer and cook just until the pasta is barely al-dente. (That was 9 minutes for the Dreamfields pasta I used.)
(If you want to make this with kale, swiss chard, or collard greens, they need to be washed, chopped, and then sauteed in additional olive oil in a separate pan, about 10 minutes total cooking time. Then add them to the sweet potatoes when you add the cooked pasta.)
When sweet potatoes are soft and cooked through (about 8-10 minutes), turn heat to low and add the other 1 tsp. of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Saute over low heat, stirring often, for 3-5 minutes more or until the sweet potatoes are all glazed with the vinegar. Season sweet potatoes well with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
Wash the arugula if needed and then place in the bottom of the colander where you're going to drain the pasta. When pasta is done, scoop out 1/2 cup pasta cooking water; then pour the hot pasta over the arugula. Let it drain for a minute or so, then add the pasta and arugula to the pan with the sweet potatoes and stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta cooking water and stir gently again. Then add most of the Parmesan cheese and stir again. Serve hot, with the reserved Parmesan cheese to sprinkle over each serving at the table.
This does not reheat that well, and reheating Dreamfield's pasta makes it higher on the glycemic index, so I'd make as much of this as you'll eat at one time.
Ingredients:
1 large orange-fleshed sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (often called yams in U.S. stores)
1 T + 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2-3 oz. baby arugula or spinach (or can use other chopped greens, but they will need to be sauteed separately)
2 cups (dry) penne pasta (I used Dreamfields pasta)
1 T good-quality balsamic vinegar (or a little more)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste (for seasoning sweet potatoes)
2/3 cup coarsely-grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. While the water heats, peel sweet potatoes and cut them into 1 inch pieces. Heat olive oil in a large heavy frying pan (big enough to hold the finished pasta dish) and begin to saute the sweet potatoes over medium heat, stirring occasionally so they don't burn on one side.
When water boils, add the pasta, stir, and let it come back to a boil; then lower the heat to a medium simmer and cook just until the pasta is barely al-dente. (That was 9 minutes for the Dreamfields pasta I used.)
(If you want to make this with kale, swiss chard, or collard greens, they need to be washed, chopped, and then sauteed in additional olive oil in a separate pan, about 10 minutes total cooking time. Then add them to the sweet potatoes when you add the cooked pasta.)
When sweet potatoes are soft and cooked through (about 8-10 minutes), turn heat to low and add the other 1 tsp. of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Saute over low heat, stirring often, for 3-5 minutes more or until the sweet potatoes are all glazed with the vinegar. Season sweet potatoes well with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
Wash the arugula if needed and then place in the bottom of the colander where you're going to drain the pasta. When pasta is done, scoop out 1/2 cup pasta cooking water; then pour the hot pasta over the arugula. Let it drain for a minute or so, then add the pasta and arugula to the pan with the sweet potatoes and stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta cooking water and stir gently again. Then add most of the Parmesan cheese and stir again. Serve hot, with the reserved Parmesan cheese to sprinkle over each serving at the table.
This does not reheat that well, and reheating Dreamfield's pasta makes it higher on the glycemic index, so I'd make as much of this as you'll eat at one time.
# posted by Chelsea @ 12:06 PM 
