Rachael's Daytime Talk Show
Salad-a-Ghetti -- 03/13/09

Salad-a-Ghetti

Ingredients

  • Salt
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 4 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 5 to 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
  • Ground black pepper
  • 1 small head frisée lettuce, stem removed and cleaned (about 2 cups)
  • 2 cups baby arugula
  • 1/2 small head radicchio, shredded (about 1 cup)
  • 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (about a handful)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

Place a large pot of water over high heat to boil the pasta. When the water reaches a bubble, salt it and drop the pasta. Cook to al dente according to package directions and drain. (Heads up: Save a large mug of starchy cooking water to use when cooking the filling.) Reserve.

Step

While the pasta is cooking, place a large skillet over low heat with 4 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 4 tablespoons. Add the garlic and thyme to the pan and cook until tender and very aromatic, 5-6 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and add a ladle of starchy cooking water (about 1/2 cup – just eyeball it) and the cooked pasta. Add the frisée, arugula, radicchio, juice of 1 lemon, Parmigiano Reggiano and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper to the pan and cook, tossing frequently, until the veggies have wilted and the pasta has absorbed the residual water, 2-3 minutes.

Serve the pasta garnished with the parsley and Meatball Spiedini with Caprese.