But simple need not mean boring. Yasmin Fahr, who wrote the new cookbook Keeping It Simple-Easy Weeknight One Pot Recipes came by
Tonia's Kitchen with an easy to make penne recipe that'll feed a family of four in under 20 minutes. Essentially, it's whole wheat penne pasta and cheese, cooked up in a big pot. It'll look fancy, and nobody need know it took under a half-hour to make. But the crux of the book is full of recipes that don't take long at all. Give this one a try.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or grated
- ½ tsp dried red chilli flakes
- 1 litre water
- 500g dried wholewheat or farro penne
- 600g chopped cime di rapa, ends trimmed and cut into 5cm pieces or 300g chard or cavolo nero, leaves removed from stems, cut into 2½cm ribbons
- 45g grated Pecorino Romano, plus more to serve
- Zest of 1 lemon
METHOD
- Heat the oil in an ovenproof 30cm frying pan over a medium heat until shimmering. Add the shallot with a pinch of salt and cook until softened, about three minutes.
- Add the garlic and a pinch or more of chilli flakes, stirring constantly until fragrant but not browned, about a minute.
- Pour the water into the frying pan, raising the heat to reach a vigorous boil, then add the pasta and more salt. The water shouldn’t taste like the sea, as you’re not draining the liquid.
- Cook until the pasta is al dente, about two minutes less than the package instructions, and stirring every few minutes to ensure nothing is sticking, about 10 minutes.
- Turn on the grill to high. Place an oven rack 15cm from the heat source (if the grill is inside your oven).
- Stir in the cime di rapa and top with the grated pecorino. Add the little cheese nuggets, if using.
- Place under the grill until the cheese has melted and turned a light golden hue and the cime di rapa is starting to brown, about two to three minutes, depending on the heat of your grill.
- Remove, top with lemon zest and more cheese, if you like.
