Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Dried Cherries, Chard, and Walnuts

Copyright: Jack Bishop, A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen

Chewy, sweet dried cherries are a tasty addition to a pasta sauce made with chard and garlic. Red chard is pretty in this dish. If you can't get chard, try spinach.

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 pounds chard, stems and thick center ribs discarded, leaves washed, shaken to remove excess water, and chopped (about 10 cups)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup chopped dried cherries

1 pound whole wheat spaghetti

1. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot for cooking pasta.

2. Place the walnuts in a large, deep saute pan or Dutch oven. Turn the heat to medium and toast, shaking the pan occasionally to turn the nuts, until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a small plate.

3. Add the oil and garlic to the empty pan and cook until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. (Do not let the garlic burn.) Add the damp chard, stir to coat the leaves with the oil and garlic, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the chard has wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cherries, remove the pan from the heat, and cover to keep warm.

4. Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta. Toss the pasta, chard, and toasted walnuts together, adding cooking water as needed to moisten the pasta. Serve immediately.

This recipe was discussed here.