Cavolo Nero Pasta

This is our latest favourite pasta recipe where cavolo nero plays the main character. This lusciously pasta dish is cooked with anchovies, garlic, chilli and plenty of parmigiano reggiano cheese. It's extremely quick and easy to prepare and so delicious, the perfect seasonal pasta bowl.

Serves: 4

Prepare: 5 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 350g short pasta, like penne or fusilli
• 200g cavolo nero, stalks removed and leaves finely sliced
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
• 4 anchovies in oil
• 1/2 lemon, juice
• 40g parmigiano reggiano, finely grated

1. Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Boil the pasta for around 8 minutes or according to pack instructions (al dente), adding the cavolo nero leaves for the final 6 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, put a large frying pan over a medium low-heat. Add the olive oil and fry the garlic and chilli flakes for a couple of minutes, until light golden. Drain the anchovies, carefully stir and fry just enough so that they dissolve in the hot oil. Remove from heat, squeeze in the lemon juice and season with black pepper.

3. When the pasta is ready, drain it, reserving a mug of the pasta cooking water. Toss the pasta and cavolo nero into the garlic and anchovy oil and add ½ the reserved cooking water to the pan. Stir in the cheese and keep stirring for 1-2 minutes over a low heat, until the pasta is glossy and well coated. If needed, add more pasta water - the sauce should be shiny but not too wet. Serve straight away.