Cavolo Nero Rigatoni

This simple recipe makes great use of my favourite winter vegetable, cavolo nero, which is a black kale from Tuscany that you can find just about everywhere.

📝 Ingredients

• 200 g Cavolo Nero
• 2 Clove Garlic
• 400 g Rigatoni
• 1 Red Chilli
• 100 g Breadcrumb
• 1 tbsp Dried Oregano
• Salt
• Olive Oil

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil.
2. 2Wash and strip the leaves from the cavolo nero, peel the garlic and add both to the pan. Cook for about 5 mins, then remove, keeping the water.
3. 3Place the cavolo nero and garlic into a blender and pulse until mushy but not completely smooth.
4. 4Cook the rigatoni in the cavolo cooking water until al dente.
5. 5While the pasta cooks, place a large frying pan over a medium-low heat and add 100ml of olive oil. Finely chop the chilli (remove the seeds for less heat) and add to the frying pan, sizzle gently for a minute then turn off the heat.
6. 6In a small frying pan, add a splash of olive oil and fry the breadcrumbs until crisp and golden. Just before they're done, add the oregano, then set aside.
7. 7Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the oil and chilli. Add the blended cavolo nero and a splash of the pasta water and mix well to emulsify.
8. 8Plate up and top with the herby breadcrumbs.