Fusilli with radicchio and pancetta

Recipe~Finder

Cooking time: Less than 30 minutes

Cuisine: Italian; Modern Australian

Serves: 4

Type: Family; Budget; Kids; Easy; Pasta

Tools

Kitchen friendly view

Photography: Richard Mortimer

By Suzanne Gibbs

Ingredients

500g fusilli
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
200g pancetta
1 red onion, halved and sliced thinly lengthways
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
2 heads radicchio, torn into pieces
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
$3.25 per serve

Preparation method

1. Cook fusilli in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water according to packet directions. Drain and return to pan, covering with a lid.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a small frying pan and sauté pancetta for 4 minutes, until golden. Set aside, tear into pieces. Add onion and cook another 5 minutes, stirring. Add garlic and cook another minute. Increase heat to high, add radicchio with ½ cup water and cook for another 4 minutes, until wilted. Add balsamic vinegar, season to taste and remove from heat.

3. Add radicchio to pasta and toss on high heat for 1 minute. Serve immediately.

Tip: a. The GI rating of pasta is reduced when it is cooked "al dente" or to the bite. Packet directions advise on recommended cooking times, but don't take their word for it. Start testing the pasta 3 minutes before the specified time is up.

b. Radicchio is a member of the chicory family and ranges in colour from pink with cream to green with splashes of red. Its slight bitterness is softened in pasta dishes. To prepare for cooking, cut into halves or quarters first, leaving the base end intact so the leaves hold together. Brush with a little oil and balsamic vinegar and pan-fry or grill on medium heat, until crisp outside and soft inside.

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