Lemon and kale rigatoni with pecorino and pangratto
Spring is slowly but surely heading into summer (even if the amount of rain we’ve been having seems to suggest otherwise!) and with it comes a general dislike for putting the oven on. Since last posting we have moved from our stuffy flat into a far cooler house, but even now when it’s getting a bit toasty outside it’s better to keep the kitchen heat to a minimum.
This pasta recipe has been on the back burner for quite a while now (apparently I started this post in July 2022?!). Back when I lived in Windsor while working on a graduate scheme there was a Carluccio’s restaurant in town that my housemate and I would often order from. My favourite dish to get was the penne giardiniera - crispy spinach balls with grated courgette sautéed in garlic, chilli and cheese, served with giant penne. The crispy spinach balls were salty and delicious and worked so well with the cheesy, oily pasta. This recipe is my homage to that dish, with a few tweaks to avoid deep frying in a domestic setting and a dash of lemon for some much needed zing.
The recipe starts with the breadcrumbs. It’s best to use fresh rather than dried as you want them to soak up the flavours of the olive oil and lemon as they gently toast in the pan. Keep an eye out for them in the supermarket, otherwise they can be made simply at home with the aid of a small food processor - simply remove the crusts from a slice of decent white bread and blitz until fairly fine.
Once the breadcrumbs are done, set them aside and focus on the pasta. I’ve gone for a rigatoni for this recipe - the ridges hang on to the oily, lemony “sauce” (sauce is probably being quite generous) and makes a good pair with the earthy kale. A final flourish of garlic, chilli flakes and lemon emulsify together with the oil and cheese to coat the pasta and make for a dish that’s both savoury and fresh. Don’t be tempted to leave out the chilli flakes - they don’t make the pasta “spicy” per se but add a gentle warmth to the dish instead.
Any leftover pasta will keep overnight in the fridge at a push in a sealed container, but is best eaten fresh out of the pan with a dressed side salad. Let me know what you think if you give it a try!
Lemon and kale rigatoni with pecorino and pangratto
Serves: 4 | Total time: 30 mins | Source: vickicooksveggie
Ingredients
For the pangratto:
30g (1oz) fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Zest of ⅓ of a lemon
Salt and pepper
For the pasta:
250g (9oz) rigatoni, or another tubular pasta
100g (4oz) kale, tough stalks removed and leaves chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Zest of ⅔ of a lemon
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
50g (2oz) vegetarian pecorino, finely grated (you can get rennet-free pecorino in Tesco)
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tbsp)
Method
Start by making the pangratto (crispy breadcrumbs). Heat a large non-stick pan over a medium heat and add 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add your breadcrumbs, lemon zest plus some salt and pepper to the pan. Fry the breadcrumbs, stirring often, for about 5 minutes until they turn a lovely golden brown colour. Remove from the heat, add to a small bowl and wipe out the pan.
For the pasta, bring a large pan of boiling salted water to the boil. Add the rigatoni and cook for 10 minutes. When the pasta has about 2 minutes left to cook, add the kale to the pan for the remaining cooking time. Drain the pasta and kale once cooked.
Finally, get the pan that you used earlier for the breadcrumbs and heat up 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil on a medium heat. Add the chopped garlic, lemon zest and chilli flakes and cook until the garlic just begins to colour.
At this point, add the pasta and kale to the oil and stir well, making sure the pasta is coated nicely in the oil. Add most of the grated pecorino (save enough for sprinkling on top) and the lemon juice and give it a final stir.
Serve the pasta with the rest of the pecorino, some black pepper and the crispy breadcrumbs scattered on top.