Use It Up: Brown Butter Pasta with Tatsoi

Tonight I think I hit the jackpot.  I just witnessed my two kids consume almost two full heads of tatsoi (the cancer-fighting-phytonutrient-packed-powerhouse!).  Yes.  It’s true.  They ate green things, that were not hidden in a smoothie or something tricky like sickly-tinted brownies..  I simply presented, “Giraffe Food ‘Ronis” to them and they literally licked the platter clean.  I was so giddy I barely ate...Until they went to bed. Then I polished off the leftovers. And 11/12ths of a bottle of wine.. But who’s keeping score? Not me...

However, as I peered into my fridge tonight around 6:25, I felt a sense of desperation.  I wondered, “What the heck can I possibly cobble together for dinner?”  I knew minimal effort was a requirement.  A must, actually.

By chance, I stumbled upon this recipe on the Appetite For China blog (now posted to the WGG Pinterest page...btw my favorite way to recipe inspiration!) and figured I’d give it a go.  I had some gluten-free quinoa pasta, half a stick of pastured butter, a few lemons, and a good amount of pecorino romano cheese -- along with the tatsoi -- at my disposal.  So hey - why not? Healthier than take-out...all organic...two giant heads of greens...yep. Worth a shoot.

And man-oh-man, so glad I tried this.  It was literally done in less than ten minutes.  My husband raved.  My kids had seconds.  SECONDS! Of one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet!  The fact that they weren’t asking for Goldfish or Hershey bars, but eating absurd amounts of a superfood, well, hey, I guess miracles do happen.  

Here is the recipe.  If you still have your tatsoi hanging about, I highly suggest you whip this up.  I used gluten-free quinoa pasta, so this can also be celiac-friendly. 

Browned Butter Pasta with Tatsoi

(From Appetite For China...with my two-cents)

Your pasta of choice, preferably curved or with ridges (I used quinoa shells)
1/2 stick unsalted butter (high end is the key...I used Trickling Springs salted butter...a lot)
Salt and pepper (I forgot pepper)
Leaves of 2 to 3 bunches of tatsoi, rinsed (I even used a bit of the stalks -- of two giant bunches)
1/2 cup chopped sage (omitted)
Freshly grated parmesan (I used pecorino romano)
Lemon wedges, optional (definitely...)

Cook pasta to al dente in salted water.

When pasta almost done done, melt butter in a skillet. Swirl the butter in the pan as it foams. (At this point, remove pasta from the heat and drain well in a colander.) When butter begins to brown, toss in pasta and mix to coat with butter. Salt and pepper to taste. Add tatsoi and sage and cook until slightly wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Plate and serve immediately with grated parmesan and lemon wedges on the side.