Perhaps it's watching Godfather One through a bazillion umpteen times, but when I think of Sicilian food, I think spicy... very, very spicy. And, naturally although I tell everyone they MUST read through the entire recipe before starting out. I just quickly scanned the photo and title (which just mentioned Swiss chard... I've been craving it lately and finally found... and sausage... I always have Italian fennel sausages on hand). The book is ... Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast
, which I've used often, even wrote about how great a little cookbook it is. Admittedly, it's been sitting on my shelves for a while (I'm fickle and tend to go with the latest that arrive at my kitchen, before they too, sit in my bookcase waiting for me to crave something special.But I digress, this time it was the Swiss chard. It's not really in season here in Nova Scotia, but it is a hearty green and I finally spied a bunch at my local supermarket.
Back to the recipe... still thinking "if Sicilian, it must be spicy", I did wonder how the raisins would fit in the picture. And I admit, my first bite had me wonder. It definitely was sweet and I thought I'd probably never make the dish again. But then came bites number two and beyond. The crunchy pine nuts and heartiness of the meat balanced the sweetness of the raisins so well that my Honey and I had to have seconds. We even decided against a salad so we could have more.
I did add a pinch of red chili pepper flakes, but the balance of sweet (from the raisins), salty (from the cheese) and robust (from the sausages & chard) didn't really need it.
It's a given that I'll be sending this off to Girlichef, this week's host for Presto Pasta Nights. You can send her your entries too, just email to girlichef (at)yahoo (dot)com and cc me - ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com
Interestingly enough, Girlichef, along with some other great food bloggers does Hearth 'n Soul Blog Hop, another great weekly event . I love the intro statement..."Food from your hearth, to feed your soul. Food that follows your intuition". And there's never a time when pasta doesn't do just that for me.
What's your favorite soul feeding food?
4 comments:
This sounds really good...if unexpected...Ruth! I adore Italian sausage packed with fennel...and swiss chard, I bet those raisins and pinenuts were the perfect contrast. Now I really want to try this. Thanks so much for sending it my way for my turn at PPN...and for sharing it w/ the hearth and soul hop, as well :D
I think the food that has always fed my sould is macaroni and cheese and now that I have found the ultimate recipe I will always be hooked:D
Stopping by from Hearth n Soul, this sounds lovely. I am always looking for ways to add chard to the table. Thanks.
I'm pretty sure I'll eat anything that combines Italian sausage and pasta - and this definitely isn't an exception - it looks great!
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