Lenten Recipes

I added a new recipe to our Lenten repertoire. I found this on the internet last week. It is from Gourmet magazine. It sounded good and it looked good. I was game to try it. Whitney was over for dinner and both she and Jeff gave this dish a thumbs up. It goes together quickly. Let me tell you that the aroma of the pine nuts and garlic simmering in the olive oil and butter makes you stop and take notice of what is happening in the kitchen.

The second recipe that I have for you is an old, family Lenten favorite. Every year, the first graders in the school of Religion would get a hunk of pretzel dough and shape their dough. All three daughters made these pretzels in first grade, then for several years, I was a first grade Catachist at St. Bernards so I made them each year with my students. Pretzels go back to the early days of the church. People would abstain from meat and all forms of animal products. The pretzels were then a simple bread to eat during Lent. In addition, a young Italian monk shaped the dough to mimic crossed arms in prayer. Lauren has asked me to send her this recipe for the last two years. About a week ago, I received an email from her asking me once again to send her the recipe. So I've included the pretzel recipe for all of you to enjoy. Unfortunately, I do not have a picture to share with you with the homemade pretzels.

Penne Rigate with Mixed Greens and Pine Nuts
1 lb penne rigate
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 (8 to 10 oz) bags of mixed salad greens with radicchio (often labeled Italian)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus extra for garnish

Cook penne in boiling salted water until al dente or according to package directions, then drain in a colander.

Combine butter, oil and pine nuts in cleaned and dried pot and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until nuts are pale golden, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Stir in greens and cook, stirring, until they wilt, about 3 minutes. Add penne, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Stir in cheese and serve immediately with additional cheese on the side.

**To reduce the start-to-finish time, cook the nuts,, garlic and greens in a separate pot while you boil the pasta.

**I only added one bag of mixed Italian greens and that seemed to be plenty. I went to the store without the recipe so I didn't know how much I needed to buy.

Soft Pretzels
1 pkg dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
1 egg
coarse salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add salt and sugar. Blend in flour. Knead dough until smooth. Cut into small pieces. Roll in ropes and twist into shape. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Brush pretzels with beaten egg. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Makes about 12 pretzels.