Pasta with Sausage and Swiss Chard

Gemelli is a short, spiral-shaped pasta that's satisfyingly chewy. It stands up well in this hearty sauce of Italian sausage, Swiss chard, raisins, and pine nuts.  Pine nuts, which are harvested from pinecones, can be used in both savoury and sweet dishes. Store them in the refrigerator for up to three months; freeze them for up to nine. Swiss Chard, a member of the beet family, comes in several varieties, which can be used interchangeably. Look for chard with bright-green leaves and no brown spots.

⅓ cup pinenuts
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
¾ lb mild Italian sausage, casings removed
1 lb Swiss chard, tough stems removed, leaves cut into thin strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
coarse sea salt
black pepper, freshly cracked
1 lb gemelli or other short pasta
¾ cup raisins, plumped in boiling water and drained
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Garnish:
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, toast pine nuts over medium-high heat, shaking the pan to toast evenly, 3-4 minutes. Remove from skillet.

In the same skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage, and cook, breaking it up with a fork, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add chard, garlic, and pepper; cook, tossing, until chard wilts, 2-3 minutes. Cover to keep warm.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, about 7-8 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking water. Return pasta to pot.

Add sausage mixture to pasta with ½ cup reserved cooking water, raisins, toasted pine nuts, and Parmesan; toss to combine. Add more cooking water if pasta seems dry. Serve with more Parmesan.

Makes 4 servings.