Idea

After purposefully not turning on the stove in my first recipe, I thought the next one should remedy that. By no means do I have a broad repertoire of Italian dishes. However, if I was trying to impress someone right now, I'd cook some version of this. This came together as a way to make a steak dinner nutritionally complete. Steak is delicious (also definitely the easiest protein to cook), but not exactly a full meal. So I thought of serving it with fettuccini. To contrast against the fatty steak, I added dandelion greens to that. The bitterness contrasts nicely against the fatty steak, and as opposed to e.g. spinach, it retains some texture.

There is an argument to be made that this is not actually a fully cohesive pasta dish, given that the steak is cooked first, and after the pasta is done served with it. Contrast this to e.g. using sausage where it can be rendered, the dandelion greens sauteed with that, then the pasta added to that pan and all 3 components finished together. To that I give 2 counter-arguments: 1) think of the dandelion green pasta as a side to the steak, just like fries or mashed potatoes, and 2) just make the dish and see if you have any complaints about the flavors.

Principles

Stop Using Recipes

Notes

This is a template more than an exact recipe: long pasta, robust greens and steak. There are three distinct parts: 1) sear the steak, 2) cook the greens and 3) build the sauce in the pan with the pasta and greens.
This will work just as well with any long pasta shape (fettuccini, spaghetti, linguine, etc.) and with any robust greens (mustard greens, kale, etc.). In fact the version of this I make the most commonly is with fettuccini and kale.

• Kale is much more hearty than dandelion greens, so it requires a 2 step cooking process. First, cut away the stems from the leaves and dice them, then when actually cooking in step 3b) add the stems first and cook for a few minutes, before then adding the leaves and cooking them until softened (which will take closer to 8+ minutes). The rest of the process is the exact same.

Techniques

Pan Searing Protein (if the article is empty, it has yet to be written)
Saucing Pasta Correctly
Salt is not Just Seasoning

Ingredients

NOTES:

• Step i-j and step 2-3 are done in parallel; if you time it correctly the pasta will be finished cooking as the greens turn soft. If not, just pull the pasta out first as noted.

Recipe

Step 0: Dry brine the steak, generously salt the steak and place in the fridge uncovered for at least 40 min, and up to overnight. The salt should look like a light snowfall. Optional but recommended.

Step 1a: Boil a pot of water for the pasta, use less than you think you need. The water just has to cover the pasta, and the less water you use the starchier the water will be after cooking, which means a better sauce.
Step 1b: Heat a stainless steel or cast iron pan until it starts smoking. Add a high smoke point oil, and pat the steaks dry. Lay the steaks in the pan away from you. Press down gently.

Step 2: Flip the steaks frequently, around 30 sec a side. Contrary to popular belief, flipping steaks more frequently leads to a better steak as it cooks more evenly.

• The correct answer to telling when your steaks are done is to use a thermometer. If you're like me however, and don't have a thermometer, learn the poke test, in my experience it's usually a slight underestimate. Pull the steaks when done and leave to rest.
  

Step 3a: Prep your veg. Wash the dandelion greens. To the same pan, now turn on the heat to medium.
Note: if the fond (the caramelized bits on the bottom of the pan after searing meat) is very dark it may taste acrid, wash out the pan first.
Note 2: if there is a lot of fat that rendered out, discard most of it.
Step 3b: Add the dandelion greens and cook them down until wilted, 5-6 minutes. The goal isn't to fry them so add a dash of water if the pan is getting too dry. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, sauté until fragrant, 30-60 sec. Season with salt.

Step i: Once the water is boiling drop your pasta. Set a timer for 2 minutes less than the package directions.
Step j: Taste the pasta, it should have a good bite to it but not be hard. If it's crunchy still keep the flame on for another minute and taste again. If it's hard turn the flame off but let it sit in the water for a minute and taste again. If the pasta is done before the dandelion greens are cooked, pull it to a plate but reserve the pasta water.

Step 4: Turn the heat to medium low. Add the pasta to the pan and a small ladle of pasta water. Add a drizzle of olive oil and mix vigorously. Agitation of the starchy water and oil forms the emulsion that becomes the pasta sauce.

• Repeat the two steps until you are happy with the sauciness of the pasta: add more water in small increments as it boils off, and add more oil in even smaller increments (water boils off, oil doesn't, and you don't want to overcook the pasta while finishing the sauce). If it gets too oily add a splash of water, if it's too loose let it cook out or add a bit of oil.
• The finished sauce should not look oily, and when a line is drawn through it with a spoon/fork, it should stay and not immediately run back together.
  

Step 5: Season: add salt, herbs if desired, and pepper. Slice the rested steaks, pour the resting juices back in with the pasta. Serve immediately.