Tuscan Fava Bean And Orecchiette Pasta Salad Recipes

ITALIAN PASTA & BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to directions; drain.
• Rinse with cold water.
• Prepare vinaigrette while pasta is cooking.
• Stir all vinaigrette ingredients together in large bowl.
• To Roast Pepper Take 1 large red bell pepper, roast under broiler or on barbecue rotating frequently until skin is black.
• Place warm pepper in sealed zip lock bag for 5 minutes.
• Peel skin off pepper while it is still hot.
• Seed and chop pepper.
• Stir pasta, pepper, canned ingredients and onion into vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Chill and serve.
• Top with feta cheese if desired.
• Enjoy!

TUSCAN PASTA SALAD WITH GRILLED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium high. Toss the radicchio, fennel wedges and bell peppers in a large bowl with 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and grill, turning occasionally, until charred and crisp-tender, about 4 minutes for the peppers and radicchio and 6 minutes for the fennel. Let cool, then cut into small pieces.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Drain and rinse under cold water; shake off the excess. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Add the grilled vegetables and cannellini beans to the pasta; toss well. Add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, the lemon juice, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste; toss. Add the Parmesan and fennel fronds and toss gently.

PASTA WITH FAVA BEANS AND LEMON SAUCE

Steps:

• Shell fava beans and cook in a medium pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes.
• Drain and immediately plunge into a large bowl of ice water.
• Peel off outer skins of beans---there is a dark green, thick ridge on the rounded side of the bean-starting there, pinch the skin and pull it open, once the skin opens a bit you can squeeze the bottom and the bean slips out into your bowl.
• Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions until al dente (you definitely don't want to overcook the pasta for this dish).
• Reserve a half cup of the water the pasta has cooked in and drain pasta in colander, you don't have to worry about excess water in the "little ears" as it will help tie the pasta sauce together.
• Return pot to medium heat, add butter and garlic, cook until garlic is soft.
• Add half-and-half, heat one minute.
• Stir in lemon juice, zest and pepper.
• Add pasta and cheese, stirring until pasta is coated and cheese is melted.
• Add favas and toss, adding a few tablespoons of reserved pasta water if pasta seems dry (the starch from the cooking water will help make the sauce creamy, it shouldn't seem sticky).
• Serve immediately in warm bowls, garnishing with mint if desired.

TUSCAN FAVA BEAN AND ORECCHIETTE PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in orecchiette pasta and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.
• Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, thyme, black pepper, and salt together in a bowl until dressing is mixed.
• Combine the fava beans, cooked pasta, grape tomatoes, red onion, celery, and basil in a large bowl. Toss to coat with the dressing. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.

TUSCAN KALE WITH ORECCHIETTE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and red-pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until onion is softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar and toss to coat. Add vinegar and cook until completely reduced, about 1 minute. Season mixture with salt and remove from skillet.
• Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to skillet and increase heat to medium-high. Add kale in batches and cook, stirring, until greens are wilted and just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Season with salt. Return onion mixture to pan, stir to combine, and cook until just heated through.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta.
• Return pasta to pot, along with kale, butter, and Pecorino. Cook over medium heat, stirring and adding enough pasta water to form a light sauce that coats pasta. Add nutmeg to taste and season with salt. Divide among 4 bowls and serve each with a few thin slices of goat cheese on top and red-pepper flakes to taste.