Pasta with Monk's Beard and Ricotta

Here is a delicious Italian recipe to prepare pasta with monk’s beard and ricotta:

Ingredients

• 320 g of pasta (such as spaghetti or bucatini)
• 200 g of monk’s beard (cleaned and cut)
• 250 g of fresh ricotta
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• Parmesan flakes (optional)

Preparation

1. Begin by cleaning the monk’s beard, removing the roots and the tougher parts. Wash them well under running water.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the monk’s beard for about 5 minutes, then drain them and set aside.
3. In the same cooking water of the monk’s beard, cook the pasta until it is al dente.
4. In the meantime, in a pan, heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil with the crushed garlic cloves. When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the monk’s beard and sauté for a couple of minutes. Remove the garlic cloves before proceeding.
5. Drain the pasta, preserving some of the cooking water. Remove the garlic from the pan and combine the pasta with the monk’s beard, mixing well and adding a bit of the cooking water if necessary to make it creamier.
6. Turn off the heat and add the ricotta, crumbling it over the pasta. Gently mix until you obtain a cream that envelops the pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve the pasta hot with a sprinkling of black pepper, and if you like, add some Parmesan flakes to enrich the dish.

Curiosity

Monk’s beard, also known as friar’s beard, is a vegetable typical of the Mediterranean cuisine and particularly appreciated in Italian cooking. It is rich in minerals and has a slightly tart flavor that pairs well with the sweetness of the ricotta.