1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil while you prep the cavolo nero. Use your hands to strip the dark, leafy part away from the stalk. Roughly chop the dark leaves and stalks separately and peel the garlic cloves. Prepare a bowl of ice water to cool the greens after blanching.
2. Add the stalks and garlic to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute before adding the cavolo nero leaves and spinach. Cook for 1 more minute then transfer everything to the ice bath.
3. Tip the pasta into the same boiling water and cook until aldente. Reserve a cup of the pasta water.
4. Squeeze the water from the blanched greens and add them to a blender along with a pinch of chilli flakes, the lemon zest, juice, olive oil, parmesan, some salt and pepper. Blend into a smooth, bright green sauce.
5. Drain the pasta and add the chickpeas and the green sauce. Mix well and loosen with a splash of pasta water if needed. Gently warm everything through on the hob for a few seconds, making sure not to boil the sauce as this may alter the colour.
6. Plate up and top with a generous drizzle of good quality olive oil.
Serves 4:
200g cavolo nero
100g spinach
2 garlic cloves
300g pasta
Pinch chilli flakes
1 lemon, zest & juice
8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Handful parmesan
1 jar chickpeas, drained
When your head says salad but your heart says pasta. This vibrant pasta sauce is perfect for this time of year when you need an injection of greens but still want something warm and comforting. The most important aspect here is shocking your greens in ice water after blanching them to keep their colour and using a really good quality olive oil.