Bitter Greens and Fresh Ricotta

Spaghetti is my everyday fallback position. I can always find something in the house to turn into a credible sauce even if it's just olive oil, garlic, red pepper, and pasta cooking water. A little cheese -- even better.

Half a red onion, garlic, a few slices of prosciutto, and a couple spoonfuls of fresh ricotta turned out a pretty tasty quick dinner.

As the pasta cooked, I sautéed the chopped garlic and onion in olive oil and sprinkled in a bit of crushed red pepper. When the onion was soft I tossed in shreds of prosciutto until just crisped.

I added the drained al dente spaghetti to the sauté pan along with the chopped dandelions, S&P, 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water (kitchen gold!), and plenty of grated Romano cheese and gave it all a quick stir of medium high heat. I thought the greens might still be too bitter on their own so I topped the dish with two quenelles of fresh ricotta and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

I'm not sure any Italian ever made this spaghetti recipe, but it made a fine supper for my hungry Scot.