FETTUCCINE WITH BRUSSELS SPROUTS, LEMON AND RICOTTA

Fettuccine With Brussels Sprouts, Lemon and Ricotta image

Brussels sprouts love a whisper of lemon, which is what the zest provides in this combo. The ricotta becomes creamy when you add a small amount of cooking water from the pasta to it, but you have to serve this right away or the ricotta will stiffen up again. I used gluten free Le Veneziane fettuccine made with cornmeal, and thought the color and texture were very good. It only took 5 to 6 minutes to cook. It works equally well with standard pasta.

Provided by Martha Rose Shulman

Time 20m

Yield Serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 9

Ingredients

3/4 pound Brussels sprouts (about 16)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup ricotta
1 garlic clove, mashed with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle or put through a press
2 teaspoons finely grated or chopped lemon zest (I use a microplane for this)
2 tablespoons minced chives or parsley, or a combination
1 ounce Parmesan, grated (1/4 cup)
12 ounces fettuccine

Steps:

Begin heating water for pasta.
Trim bottoms of Brussels sprouts and quarter lengthwise or slice. Heat oil over high heat in a large, heavy skillet and add Brussels sprouts. Sear for about a minute without stirring, then turn the heat to medium-high, add salt and pepper to taste and stir or toss in the pan until tender and the edges are seared light brown, about 5 minutes. Some of the leaves will detach and get black, but don't worry, you can discard them. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl or plate.
When water comes to a boil, salt generously and add pasta. While pasta is cooking, mix together ricotta, garlic, lemon zest and chives (or parsley and chives) in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
When pasta is cooked al dente (see timing instructions on package but check a minute before indicated time), remove 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Mix 2 to 4 tablespoons with ricotta. It should have the consistency of cream. Add a little more water if it doesn't. Drain the pasta and toss with Brussels sprouts, ricotta mixture and Parmesan. If pasta seems dry, toss with a little more of the cooking water or another tablespoon of olive oil. Serve at once.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 497, UnsaturatedFat 8 grams, Carbohydrate 73 grams, Fat 14 grams, Fiber 6 grams, Protein 20 grams, SaturatedFat 5 grams, Sodium 509 milligrams, Sugar 4 grams