Salad-a-Ghetti
- 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 frise 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
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.
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 frise, 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.