Pasta with Fennel-leek-bean sauce

[Guest guest]

My husband picked up this past week's Whole Foods flyer with a recipe

for red snapper. I don't eat fish, of course, but I thought the

recipe looked good for him. We discovered that it was easier for him

to make the entire allotment of veggies for the dish, but he only

used a small portion of those veggies (a slaw, really) for his

serving. I used the remnant for soup and pasta all weekend.

 

Tonight, he mixed up another batch--just for our veg*n dishes.

 

1 carrot, shredded

1 leek, thinly sliced white parts

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

a couple sprigs of fresh herbs (we used dill and parsley)

salt, pepper

olive oil

white wine (we used the rest of a white zin we had on hand)

 

Toss together and let sit.

 

Meanwhile, cook the pasta (we use Tinkyada or Trader Joe's rice

pasta). Toss some quartered cherry tomatoes into a colander and

drain the pasta over them. Rinse well.

 

I heated up some olive oil (generous amount) in the pan I'd used to

cook pasta. Add some crushed red pepper. Toss in the veggies and

stir for a bit. Recall the overcooked beans (mushy) made the

previous night. Toss in a cupful or two. Add some garlic. Stir

well, reducing the beans to a paste. Add more olive oil or other

fat. Add some salt and pepper, if you like. I sprinkled in some

tarragon and a diced roasted red pepper.

 

Toss with the pasta and enjoy!

 

I think the beans could take on a cheesy flavor with the addition of

some nutritional yeast.

 

Hubby adores it, asked why I didn't put spinach in (spinach wilts

better in an oilier sauce).

 

Most of my meals are just spur-of-the-moment pasta, bean, and veggie

dishes. I just saute whatever veggies I have on hand, then toss with

pasta and beans. I usually use beans that aren't overcooked, but the

mushy beans were perfect for this recipe.

 

A favorite of mine is garlic, oil oil oil, chickpeas, red onion,

roasted pepper, and spinach. It's good hot or cold.

 

ygg