Salad-a-Ghetti

Spaghetti and salad come together in one dish.

Ingredients

• Salt
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• Ground black pepper
• 1 small head (about 2 cups) frisée lettuce, stem removed and cleaned
• 2 cups baby arugula
• 1/2 small head (about 1 cup) radicchio, shredded
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (about a handful)
• 3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

Preparation

Place a large pot of water over high heat to boil the pasta. When the water reaches a bubble, salt it and drop the pasta. Cook to al dente according to package directions. Just before draining, reserve a large mug of starchy cooking water. Drain pasta well and reserve.

While the pasta is cooking, place a large skillet over low heat with 4 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 4 tablespoons. Add the garlic and thyme to the pan, and cook until tender and very aromatic, 5-6 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and add a ladle of starchy cooking water (about 1/2 cup – just eyeball it) and the cooked pasta. Add the frisée, arugula, radicchio, lemon juice, Parmigiano Reggiano and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper to the pan and cook, tossing frequently, until the veggies have wilted and the pasta has absorbed the residual water, 2-3 minutes.

Serve the pasta garnished with the parsley and Meatball Spiedini with Caprese.