• Fast
• Staff Favorite

Ingredients

1. 3/4 pound orecchiette pasta
2. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3. 1 bunch of scallions, thinly sliced
4. 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5. 3/4 cup dry white wine
6. Salt and freshly ground pepper
7. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8. One 5-ounce bag of baby arugula
9. 6 large Swiss chard leaves, stems and central ribs discarded, leaves coarsely chopped
10. 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the orecchiette until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the sliced scallions and garlic and cook over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the white wine and cook over moderate heat until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water and puree the mixture in a blender until smooth. Season the scallion sauce with salt and pepper.
3. Wipe out the pasta pot and heat the olive oil in it. Add the arugula and Swiss chard; cook over high heat until wilted, 5 minutes. Add the pasta, scallion sauce and the reserved pasta cooking water and simmer, tossing and stirring, until the sauce is thick, about 3 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone, season the pasta with salt and pepper and serve.

Notes

Sommelier Choice For these orecchiette, Blanchard suggests pouring a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley in France, which has a lightly grassy zestiness. He likes the 2005 Régis Minet Vieilles Vignes Pouilly-Fumé.
Easy-to-Find Choice 2005 Pascal Jolivet Sancerre.