Linguini with Barba di Frate

having some time off over the easter holidays was so good for body, mind and soul… i took the “time off” quite literal, in that i unwound and enjoyed time with friends and families, and did not much else, really. needless to say, there was a lot of feasting involved, too. i’m feeling a little overindulged (if that’s a proper word), so as of today, i’m focusing on drinking more water (one of my resolutions anyway), sticking to more fruit and vegs and minimizing my chocolate intake (which was heavily exercised during the past couple of days, ahem). going back to healthy habits is sometimes tough, but i know i will feel that much better soon, so i am focusing on the effects to keep me motivated (also, the notion of me in a bikini – which, atm, is a frightening though, no kidding – kind of helps, too). oh well, i love me some good chocolate, sighs.

linguini with barba di frate
serves two[gap height=”20″]

ingredients:
1 bunch barba di frate
300 g linguini (i used monograno)
3 tbs olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 glasses of white wine
1 glass pasta-cooking-water
1 tbsp. vegetable bouillon
2 bay leaves
1 organic lemon, zest and jucie
fleur de sel
parmigiano reggiano, grated
[gap height=”20″]

directions:
clean the barba di frate and remove the roots. cook the linguini al dente in generously salted water. keep one glass of the cooking water and put it aside before draining the pasta. in the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and sweat the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent. deglaze with the white wine. add bay leaves and vegetable bouillon. reduce the heat, then add the barba di frate to cook until al dente, for 3-4 minutes. at the end, add the lemon juice and zest and add some or all of the pasta water, as desired. season with more salt and freshly cracked black pepper. drain the pasta now and add to the stock, immediately. discard the bay leaves. arrange on plates and garnish with parmigiano. serve hot and enjoy.