(Beet greens cooked this way can also be served as a side dish, without the pasta.) 1/2 cup currents 3 to 4 bunches beet greens (about 2 pound) 1 small bunch fresh mint (about 1/8 lb.) 2 medium red onions 2 to 3 cloves garlic 1 bay leaf 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 pound dried fedelini pasta (or linguini) Salt and pepper
Cover the currants with boiling water and soak for 15 minutes and drain them. While they are soaking, wash the beet greens, strip the leaves from the stems, and cut the leaves into a chiffonade. Chop the stems into 2-inch lengths. Stem the mint, wash the leaves and chop into chiffonade.
Put on a pot of salted water for the pasta. Peel the onions and garlic and chop fine. Sauté them with the bay leaf over medium heat in 1/4 cup olive oil about 5 minutes, until translucent.
Add beet leaves, stems, and the currants, cover, and cook 5 minutes more.
Add pasta to boiling water. Uncover beet greens, add salt and pepper, and mint leaves.
When pasta is cooked, drain and toss well with the sauce, moistening it with a ladle of the pasta water and the rest of the olive oil. Serve immediately.
Note: For slightly more piquant dish, add a splash of vinegar and a pinch of cayenne.
From Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters, submitted by CSA Member Pepi Ross