I worship the ground to which the famous food author/chef Dorie Greenspan walks on. That maybe a tad of exaggeration but the truth remains - I adore her food and recipes.
All the food bloggers I follow would mention her name with much awe, and a hint of reverence. I was then on my way to finding out why all the flatteries about her myself.
First off, buy her cookbook; little did I know, I was up for an adventure, sort of like looking for a needle in a haystack adventure. My little boy and I searched every nook and cranny of every bookstore in Melbourne to score any of Dorie Greenspan's cookbooks for a long time (I think she has three or more including her collaboration with Julia Child). We finally found the one and only copy of her cookbook, Baking My home to yours in Borders, Melbourne Central. The sales person who helped us even had to topple down some book shelves just so she can hand me over 'my precious'. Lol! And Lo and behold how precious it was, for 100 AUS dollars she would become mine. I needed to close my eyes when I was paying her off, WT! 100 dollars for a cookbook?! But I guess all the good things aren't free. :))
Second off, try her recipes; this does not merit a long explanation. For, I AM SIMPLY HOOKED FOR LIFE.
The recipe featured here is actually from her website and asking for linguine noodles. But for reasons unknown even to me, I bought fettuccine noodles instead. Lol! When the time came to finally try out the recipe, I was left with no choice but to brave the wild. :) What a nice surprise indeed to find out that my fettuccine noodles still live up to the dishes' name. And so, we shall this dish - beggar's linguine/fettuccine.
I also tried to find out why this pasta dish was called beggar's to no avail. Maybe I didn't try hard enough but what I found out instead is that there is nothing beggar-ish to the taste. It is yummy all the way.
* Adapted from http://doriegreenspan.com
Makes 6 to 8 starter servings or 4 main-course servings
1 box (14 to 16 ounces) linguine or fettuccine
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter
1/3 cup shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
8 plump dried mission figs or 3 dried kadota figs, finely diced
1/4 cup plump, moist raisins (golden raisins are nice here)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (more or less to taste)
Grated zest of 1/2 orange (or more to taste)
Minced chives and/or parsley leaves, for serving (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cook the linguine or fettuccine according to the package directions. When the pasta is cooked, drain it well, but don’t rinse it.
About 5 minutes before the pasta is ready, melt the butter over medium heat in a large high-sided skillet or casserole. (You’re going to add the pasta to this pan, so make sure it’s large enough.) When the butter is melted, hot and golden, stir in the nuts, figs and raisins. Allow the butter to bubble and boil – you want it to cook to a lovely light brown, or to turn into pan beurre noisette, butter with the color and fragrance of hazelnuts – and when it’s reached just the color you want, add the pasta to the pan. Stir the pasta around in the butter to coat it evenly and to tangle it up with the bits of fruit and nuts.
Turn the pasta into a warm serving bowl, add the grated cheese and season with salt and a generous amount of black pepper. Toss and turn the pasta to incorporate the cheese, then dust the top of the mound with orange zest and chives and/or parsley, if you’re using them.
Serving: Bring the pasta to the table and, just before you’re ready to dish out the first serving, give it one more toss to mix in the zest and herbs. The pasta is so good – and so surprising – that it should be served on its own as its own course, whether first, middle (as the Italians would have it) or main.
Storing: This is not a dish that can be reheated and it’s not a pasta that can be served cold, so eat up!
My little boy's seal of approval:
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