Spaghetti with Greens

A bowl of pasta does not have to mean big calories. To lighten up pasta dishes, try Barilla Plus or whole wheat pasta. It adds a hearty, nutty flavor.Tossed with greens, and topped with toasted pine nuts, kalamata olives and pecorino cheese, you have a delicious, satisfying meal without feeling guilty.







Toast 2 tablespoons pine nuts in a skillet over high heat, being very careful not to burn. They will quickly.

Heat 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 onions, thinly sliced and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. add about 14 cups trimmed and chopped swiss chard, spinach or other greens of your choice. Saute until it wilts, about 2 minutes. Add 4 minced garlic cloves and saute 1 minute. Stir in 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with their juice, 1/4 cup dry white wine, and black pepper or red pepper flakes to taste. Bring to a boil; decrease heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally. You are looking for the tomatoes to begin breaking down and the greens very tender. Perhaps 5 minutes will do the trick. Season mixture with salt.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water (salted if you want to) to a boil. add 8 ounces of Barilla Plus or whole wheat spaghetti. Cook according to package directions. Barilla Plus and whole wheat pasta takes a little longer to cook than regular pasta. Drain spaghetti and add to the greens mixture; toss to combine.

Serve pasta in individual bowls; sprinkle each serving with chopped kalamata olives (about 1/4 cup all together), pecorino cheese to taste, and the toasted pine nuts. Makes enough for 2 to 4 main course servings, depending on the type eaters you are feeding.

Pork Milanese with Caper and Lemon Sauce

Our daughter Jen made us this entree when we
were visiting over Christmas. It's simple to prepare and very good. The room temperature creamy sauce, loaded with flavor from the capers and lemon, makes your mouth happy. A delight served over the hot pork chops.

You can also prepare the pork by pounding boneless chops thin, in the manner of the Parmesan Chicken recipe below.





To prepare to sauce: Combine 2/3 cup mascarpone cheese and 3 tablespoons mayonnaise. Slowly add 1/4 cup whole milk, stirring as you go, until all the milk is Incorporated. Add 1/4 cups capers, drained and chopped, 1 lemon, zested, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper





















To prepare the Pork Milanese: Combine 3/4 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in a bowl or shallow dish. In a second bowl, lightly beat 2 large eggs. In a third dish, place 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs. Season with pork with salt and pepper.







Dip the pork, 1st in the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs.





















Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, place the breaded pork in the skillet. Cook until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer pork to a serving platter and serve with the sauce.