The combination of raisins, pine nuts, and chard is typical in Sicilian cooking; here it is used in a robust pasta dish, along with crumbled sweet Italian sausage. Running a paring knife down the center of the sausage is the easiest way to remove the casing.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Measure out 1 cup boiling water and pour over raisins in a small dish; let soak until plump, about 15 minutes, then drain.
Step 2
While raisins are soaking, add a generous amount of salt to pot of boiling water; cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot.
Step 3
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Cook sausage, breaking it up with a fork, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add chard and garlic, and season with pepper; cook, tossing, until chard wilts, 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 4
Add sausage mixture to pot along with raisins, pine nuts, parmesan, and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water; toss with pasta to combine. Add enough additional pasta water to create a thin sauce to coat pasta.
Step 5
To serve, divide among shallow bowls, and sprinkle with more cheese.
Pine Nuts
Step 6
Pine nuts can be used in both savory and sweet dishes. They can be refrigerated up to 3 months, or frozen up to 9 months, in an airtight container.
