More Midweek Pasta.....

So, my 'The Eagle' cookbook, 'Big Flavours and Rough Edges' got another outing last night (Which although out of print right now, is being re-issued soon. Thanks for the info Goodshoeday).

I love pasta, especially for mid-week meals, it's cheap, quick and tasty, and there are some fantastic, and unusual pasta recipes in the book; (so I urge you to buy it when it gets re-issued). I decided to try 'Egg Fettuccine with Radicchio, Borlotti Beans and Pancetta' and, true to form it was excellent, I've yet to find a duff recipe yet.

To be honest, I was intrigued how it would taste with Radicchio - it's normally considered (In this country at least) to be a salad leaf, whereas apparently in Italy it's used in cooking much more robustly as a vegetable in it's own right. In any case, this all turned out to be academic as I couldn't get any. (Damn you supermarkets!!!) but luckily, the recipe suggested Chicory as a substitute...errrr..which I actually could get- luckily for this blogs readers, otherwise this post would be a bit pointless, anyway; Chicory is another kind of weird salad type ingredient I never know what to do with so I was still reasonably excited. (As much as one can be excited by Chicory anyway).

Here's the recipe - it was pretty good, the Girlfriend scored it an 8/10....and after my normal initial screaming fit and childish tantrum at her ungrateful score - I agreed. It was pretty damn good and I'll be cooking this again.

As the book is out of print, here's the recipe....

Egg Fettuccine with Radicchio, Borlotti Beans and Pancetta.

Serves 4.

You'll Need:-

1 small Onion Sliced.
5 Sage Leaves
Small handful of diced smoked Pancetta (Or smoked streaky bacon).
3 TBS Olive Oil.
1 head of Radicchio (or Chicory) cored and thinly sliced.
1/2 Glass White Wine.
400g Tin Borlotti Beans - drained and rinsed.
400g Egg Fettuccine (Or Tagliatelle).
4 TBS freshly grated Parmesan.

Fry the Onion, Sage leaves and Pancetta in the Olive Oil until they begin to brown. Add the Radicchio and cook for a minute or two until it begins to wilt. Add the wine and let it bubble and reduce a little before following with the beans. Keep warm.

Cook the Pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain very briefly and then mix with the sauce and Parmesan.