Harrys French Market Pasta Recipes

RADISH-TOP PASTA FROM 'THE FRENCH MARKET COOKBOOK'

Steps:

• Pick through the radish leaves and discard any that are wilted or discolored. Wash in cold water to remove all traces of sand or grit. Dry and chop roughly.
• Bring salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat a good swirl of cooking olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring often to avoid coloring, until softened, about 2 minutes.
• Add the radish leaves to the skillet, sprinkle with a touch of nutmeg and some salt, stir, and let the leaves wilt briefly in the heat; they should become darker by a shade, but no more. Remove from the heat.
• When the pasta is al dente, drain (not too thoroughly; keeping a little of the starchy cooking water makes the pasta silkier) and add to the skillet. Add a gurgle of extra-virgin olive oil and toss to combine over low heat. Sprinkle with pepper and divide between 2 warm pasta bowls or soup plates. Top with the cheese and walnuts and serve immediately.

QUICK FARMER'S MARKET PASTA

Steps:

• In a large heavy saute pan add the sliced garlic and the clusters of cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put the pan over low-medium heat on the stove top and cook slowly until the tomatoes are just about falling apart and their juices have been extracted into the olive oil forming a nice sauce, about 35 to 40 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 2 to 3 clusters of roasted tomatoes for garnish. Discard the vine stems and puree or squash the remaining tomatoes in the pan, with a spoon, so you have nice chunky pieces of tomato in all the delicious tomato juice and olive oil. Stir in the sugar. This will be the sauce for the pasta.
• In a large saute pan heat a 3-count of olive oil and saute the loose pork sausage until brown and caramelized. Remove and set aside on a plate while you cook the zucchini. To the same pan add some more olive oil and saute the zucchini until caramelized around the edges, about 2 minutes. Add the artichokes and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Add the sausage back to the pan and toss in pasta and the tomato sauce. Mix well over high heat to ensure everything is heated through and evenly coated. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter.
• To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan, basil leaves and top with a cluster of roasted cherry tomatoes.

PASTA E FAGIOLI "HARRY'S BAR" (BEAN SOUP WITH NOODLES)

Steps:

• Sort, rinse and soak the beans overnight in enough water to cover them by two inches. Alternatively, quick-soak the beans by boiling them for 5 minutes in the same amount of water. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for an hour.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet and saute the garlic until it is golden brown. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon. Add the chopped onion to the oil and saute gently until soft but not browned. Add the chopped tomato and rosemary and cook gently for 2 minutes.
• Drain the beans and put them into a large, heavy pot together with the sauteed ingredients. Add 5 cups of water and 5 cups of stock and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat until the liquid barely simmers, using a metal heat dispersion plate if necessary. Cook for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, or until the beans are tender but not mushy.
• Strain the cooked beans, reserving the liquid. Puree half the beans in a food processor or grind them through the finest disk of a food mill.
• Return the pureed beans and 2 1/2 cups of cooking liquid to the pot and stir to combine. Add the cooked whole beans and correct the seasonings, adding salt and pepper if desired. Cover the pot and adjust the heat so the soup barely simmers.
• Cook the noodles in rapidly boiling water until barely tender. Drain.
• Divide the noodles among the individual soup bowls, reserving half if second helpings are to be served. Ladle the hot soup over the noodles and serve at once.

FARMERS MARKET PASTA

Steps:

• In a 6-qt. stockpot, cook linguine according to package directions, adding asparagus and carrots during the last 3-5 minutes of cooking. Drain; return to pot., Place a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir 3 minutes. Add squash, mushrooms, and garlic; cook and stir until crisp-tender, 4-5 minutes. , Add cream and broth; bring to a boil, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until sauce is thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in peas, ham, 2 tablespoons basil and pepper; heat through., Add to linguine mixture; stir in 1/2 cup cheese. If desired, top with additional basil and cheese.