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Belgian endive is a vegetable that I use often during the winter stewed with a little beer. This recipe pairs it with pasta and the result is very tasty. This first course dish is a dish containing: carbohydrates, protein, calcium and vitamins.
PACCHERI PASTA WITH STARS
Preparation time: 20 minutes | Cooking time: the time indicated on the pasta package
(Serves 4)3 heads of Belgian endive
2 sprigs of wild fennel
4 slices of bacon or speck if you can find it, cut a little thicker than usual
3 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons of butter
4 ounces cheese Emmental
1/2 bottle of red stout beer like “Moretti”
1/2 pound paccheri pasta (large tube)
salt and pepper
- With a star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out the slices of bacon into 12 stars, with the aid of a sharp knife if the bacon starts to fray. Refrigerate the stars on a plate covered with plastic wrap. (This decorative aspect can be left out and the bacon can be cut into cubes). Cut any leftover bacon into very small pieces.
- Wash the endive and cut the heads in half with a knife, remove the central core. Boil a bit of salted water and when it boils, add in the endive and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain and cut into strips.
- Add the garlic to a pan, along with the chopped bacon, endive, and beer. Simmer for 20 minutes until the preparation becomes quite dry.
Turn off the heat and add 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Keep warm. - Grate the emmental with large holes of the grater.
- Cook the pasta and when cooked take 4 tablespoons of the cooking water and pour it in the sauce, drain the pasta and mix all the ingredients together. Add a final sprinkling of cheese on each plate.
- Arrange onto single plates, adding the stars of bacon and wild fennel to finish.
