24th
Pasta with Brussels Sprouts and Pine Nuts
I like when my plate of healthy food gives me… treats. Sort of like chocolate chips in trail mix, it helps when my food gives me a good reason to come back for more.
The pan-toasted pine nuts in this pasta dish are amazingly suited to the nutty caramelized Brussels sprouts—and each one is like a little prize.
This is a versatile recipe. Got no pine nuts? Whatcha got? This time, we made it with slivered almonds, which I had leftover from something else, which I will tell you about some time. We usually use fettuccine, but this time we happened to have an amazing bag of handmade tricolor penne…
…carried back in a suitcase the last time P. was in Brooklyn for work, from Caputo’s, our very favorite Italian specialty place (we once lived across the street—can you believe we ever moved?).
Pasta with Brussels Sprouts and Pine Nuts
Makes 3-4 servings
ingredients:
3/4 pound (more or less) Brussels sprouts, tough base ends trimmed off
1/2 pound pasta: dried egg fettuccine is nice, but really, whatever
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (you can omit in favor of 1-2 tablespoons more olive oil if you want, or just just the 2T olive oil on its own)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons pine nuts
grated Parmesan cheese, if you like (oh, and we do like)
how to:
Slice Brussels sprouts in approximately 1/4-inch slices the long way. Some leaves will separate, that’s OK.
Throw your pasta on to cook however you like it, or however the package tells you to.
Meanwhile, heat butter and oil (or just oil) in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until foam subsides (if using butter) or oil slightly shimmers, then cook pine nuts, stirring, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Don’t walk away! These puppies burn quick, trust me. Add sliced Brussels sprouts, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, then sauté over medium-high heat until tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta and add to skillet, tossing with enough reserved water to moisten. (If you forget the pasta water, no big deal. I do about 60% of the time.) Don’t forget the cheese, however! We used pecorino romano this time, left over from making this amazing adult mac and cheese last week.
Adapted from Gourmet, found on Epicurious. Sorry, Erin, no sepia-toned bosomy photos—will these do?
