Friday, March 11, 2011

Beggar's Linguine

This dish had to fight a truly uphill battle of preconceptions from both Nana and myself.  Suffice it to say that there was absolutely no chance either of us would have attempted this recipe were it not for French Fridays.  Which is why this week was all the more exciting and rewarding. 

While it it fun to try a new recipe that already sounds like a winner, being adventurous enough to try the long shot is what makes the difference. And what a difference it made this week - we both can not rave enough about how wonderful this seemingly unusual combination of ingredients comes together to create a quick, elegant and tasty meal.



PS- We would also like to send a huge thank you to "PartyChef" for nominating us for the Stylish Blogger award.   This made a great French Friday all the better !

Per Tricia:
Expectations in this household were not exactly high for the "Beggar's Linguine", although I have to say that I enjoyed even just reading through the recipe and comments from Dorie.  The background about the term "mendiant" and four monastic orders was very interesting.  You would simply never know that so much thought and history is behind these recipes. 
                                                 






My hopes started to rise as I prepared the dish because it was truly so quick and easy to do.  If chopping 1/3 of a cups of nuts is the tough part, you know you are in good shape.  That said, I still managed to forget to add the orange zest ....I know, I know.....but we got as far as adding the Parmesan and dove in.  

                    

The kitchen, as usual with a Dorie recipe, smelled fantastic and we were especially curious to try this dish. It was utterly delightful.  Not too heavy and the unusual combo of sweet vs. salty kept your mouth enjoying the flavors that changed up a bit with each bite. 

This is a keeper for sure - both the hubby and the younger son gave it a big thumbs up.  And that was after I had to convince my son to try the "pasta with raisins in it" (he had seen the ingredients).  I explained that it was "Dorie food" and that he would like it.  And of course, he did.  Perhaps his brother is enjoying the same dish in a bistro in France right now......


Per Nana:

After cooking pasta for 50 odd years in the Italian tradition, I had a few doubts about this recipe.  Also, I dislike raisins with a passion, and adding figs to that mix, just wasn't working for me.

However, I can't believe we ate the whole thing !       


Delicious!!!
I only cooked a half pound of linguine for two of us and even that was too much.  I served my tomato, avocado and goat cheese salad along with the pasta and the two seemed to compliment each other.


The recipe is simple to make and takes absolutely no time at all to prepare and will certainly make another appearance at our house.


19 comments:

  1. Wow--what great photos! This dish surprised me too and I love that so many of us ended up liking this.

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  2. looking at this is making me hungry again! awesome!

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  3. I like how both your dishes look! I think I liked making this dish and smelling it more than eating it. Hmm...Great posts!

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  4. I'm laughing at Nana's comments...I found this to be a delightful surprise, too (though I subbed dried cranberries for the dreaded raisins!). Love the salad, too!!!

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  5. Nana, could you pass the salad, please? Tricia, you are lucky yours got a good reception from your husband and son. I love the "it's Dorie" food technique!

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  6. Wasn't this one a pleasant surprise! I was VERY concerned that The Dude (who is half Italian and very particular about his pasta) would run for the hills on this one. I was way excited when I got a thumbs up - even if it wasn't the same type of dish his Italian mama would make!
    Very nice job by all!

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  7. I'm glad u both enjoyed this dish!

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  8. Nice photos! Your pasta looks so yummy! Nana, love the salad!
    Glad you both enjoyed this dish!

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  9. :) I am so glad that you both liked this. I was skeptical about it as well, but we loved it. I served it as a main lunch course, but I love the addition of your salad, Nana. Both of your photos are great!

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  10. Wow, the salad looks really delicious. I'll have to try that. It was nice to have such an easy recipe this week. Glad your families liked it!

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  11. I so love that you explained to your younger son that it was Dorie food and that he would like it. And then he did. So awesome!

    What a great post!

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  12. Mine looks just like yours, hooray, that must mean I did it all right! (Sometimes there is serious doubt over here, lol.) Your process photos are just as beautiful as the completed dish, wow. We loved it, the guys were skeptical but afterward they said, "Can you make some more of this? How long would that take exactly?" They liked it!

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  13. I didn't get a chance to make this this week, but your pictures have me sold! Like you, I was a little iffy on how the ingredients would work together, but now I really think I need to try it. Beautiful!

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  14. Yum! They both look wonderful. Love the 'Dorie food" reference. I'll have to remember that.

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  15. Thanks to you both for visiting my blog last week and this week for my first two attempts at FFwDorie. I was also hesitant about this recipe but it worked so well, even though I served it for breakfast instead of dinner. There were a few nuts and fruits left in the serving bowl, I went upstairs for something, and when I came back down, the nibbles were gone. My son cleaned out the bowl.

    Just love that the two of you are cooking through the book together. So great!

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  16. I agree about this group pushing one to try something that doesn't seem to appeal. In this case, I didn't get the "pleasant surprise" you both did. However, I'm glad I was encouraged to try something new. Nana, your avocado salad looks yummy!

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  17. Mmm, looks delicious! It seems like most of us were pleasantly surprised by this one! :)

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  18. Tricia, so glad you convinced the boy to try it and that he liked it! I love the photos of all the bubbly goodness! Nana, kudos to you for plowing through and then discovering a new dish for family dinners. I love your salad...looks like the perfect complement to this dish. Well done ladies!

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  19. Almost everybody was skeptical, but almost everybody made it and enjoyed it! I knew that I would be the only one eating it, and I don't like to cook only for myself, so I skipped this round of FFwD.
    I like the process photos:)

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