Name: Penne with Beets and Their Greens and Pecans
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: 2 bunches small golden, red, and/or Chioggia beets with perky greens; 1 to 2 tablespoons fruit vinegar, such as raspberry; 2 tablespoons pecan, walnut, or olive oil; ½ pound imported Italian penne rigate; 1 small garlic clove, minced; Salt and pepper; ⅛ teaspoon chilli flakes; ¼ cup toasted, coarse-chopped pecans

1 don’t object to pasta tinted party pink, but others do. For them, golden and Chioggia beets should be the varieties of choice for this luscious meal-in-a-bowl, as they won’t stain surrounding food as “regular” reds do. Even non-vegetarians enjoy the light yet satisfying dish, which calls for few ingredients but tastes complex. Unlike pasta sauces of uniform consistency, which can be monotonous, this offers different flavor and texture combinations with each bite.

If you have a lar