Thursday, January 12, 2012

Penne with Chile - Black Bean Sauce and Garlic-Fried Bread Crumbs










Ingredients:
  • 2/3 cup small dried black beans or 15 oz. canned black beans
  • olive oil, for cooking
  • 1 carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 15 oz. canned plum tomatoes, drained (reserve the juice), seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cinnamon stick
  • a large handful of arugula
  • 8 oz. pasta (I use Penne), freshly cooked
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese shavings, to serve
Garlic-fried bread crumbs:
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Directions:
  • If using dried black beans, soak them overnight in plenty of cold water. Next day, drain them, rinse well, put in a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to boil. DO not add salt. Boil hard for 15 minutes, then drain and rinse. If using canned beans, drain and rinse them
  • Cover the base of the medium saucepan with olive oil, then heat gently. Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic and beans, and stir gently in the oil for 5 minutes, or until vegetables soften. Add the tomatoes and pepper flakes plus cinnamon and stir again. Heat to simmering, cover with lid and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time. It might be necessary to add a little reserved tomato juice to keep the sauce moist. Add salt and pepper to taste and discard the cinnamon stick.
  • To make the garlic-fried bread crumbs, heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet. Put the bread crumbs, rosemary and garlic in a bowl and mix well. When the oil starts to haze, add the bread crumbs mixture and sauté until crisp and golden. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel, let drain and cool.
  • Add the sauce and arugula to the freshly cooked pasta and stir well. Serve topped with garlic-fried bread crumbs and Parmesan shavings.
Note: Recipe was taken from Pasta cookbook, authored by Silvana Franco and Lindy Wildsmith

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