Ziti with Escarole and Beans

Cooking Instructions

Boil 4 Qts of water.

Clean and chop into 1" pieces both bunches of Escarole. Rinse and drain 2 - 3 times. Set aside.

Put 2 tablespoons of Olive oil in a large Pot. Heat on medium low.

Crush Garlic, peel and mince the garlic into tiny pieces. Adder. Garlic to Oil. Do Not allow garlic to burn as it will become bitt

Take the lemon and "zest" it. grating off just the yellow rind into a bowl. set aside. After zesting, cut lemon in two and Juice the lemon into the same bowl.

add Butter to Garlic and Olive oil.

When water boils, put escarole in water and blanch for 3 minutes, remove with slotted spoon, add pasta to same water. stir so pasta doesn't stick.

take drained Escarole and add to Pot with garlic and oil... mix well.

drain cooked pasta but reserve 2 spoons of teh pasta cooking water add it to the Lemon Juice and zest.

cook Pasta about 9 Minutes for AlDente or medium. Do Not Over cook Pasta as it will cook more in pot with Escarole.

Dump drained pasta into pot with escarole mix everything well.

Roll up the four basil leaves into a tight bunch long way. fine slice the bunch to yield Shredded basil leaves.

add lemon juice and pasta water and Zest to pot mix again.

Rinse the two cans of beans getting all added juice from can off. add to pot with other ingredients.

Saute' in Pot for about 3 minutes. Add Salt & Pepper to taste, Crushed Red Pepper if you like...

Serve in bowls, and Add your favorite grated italian cheese!