Recipe of the month—March

Jodi's Green Beans &
Brown Butter Rotini

Just arrived home from work before your hungry family tumbles through the door? ACK! What can you fix?

Jodi Baxter is likely to think pasta! and be praised by Denny as “some kind of a gourmet cook” just before he grabs her and gives her a big hug.

Don't know what will happen at your house, but give this one a try. It's sure to please!

1 lb. rotini pasta
1 lb. fresh green beans cut into two-inch lengths
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) real butter
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring 5 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add 2 Tbs. of salt and the green beans. Cook just until tender, about 5 minutes. With a large slotted spoon or skimmer transfer the beans into a bowl to drain.

Add the rotini to the boiling water and cook according to package directions, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta from sicking together.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan over low heat. Skim off most of the foaming, white solid and discard. Continue cooking until the butter turns golden brown (about 2 minutes), but be careful that it doesn't burn. Add the walnuts and red pepper flakes, and salt to taste. (Without making the dish noticably spicy, a few red pepper flakes perk up many pasta dishes.)

Set your colander in your serving bowl in the bottom of your sink and drain the pasta in a colander, allowing the hot water to fill your serving dish to warm it while the pasta drains. After a minute or so, dump out the water, dry the serving dish, and transfer the rotini into it. Add the beans and the sauce and toss lightly until evenly mixed. Check to see if you need more salt. If the sauce seems too thick, add a few tabelspoons of the pasta water.

Top with Parmesan cheese, and serve with a fruit salad (canned pinnapple churnks, canned mandarin orange slices, and seedless red grapes), and toasted garlic bread.

A quick meal for a hungry 4.