serves
4
prep
10 minutes
cook
25 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
4
people
preparation
10
minutes
cooking
25
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
This is a dish from my girlfriend, Lucy, who is from a Sicilian family. Lucy usually makes this on a Monday, when we have a ton of green vegetables left over from the Sunday roast. You can use virtually any green vegetable and the Parmesan rind gives the pasta a lovely depth of flavour. If I have been busy at work and really want something comforting and healthy to eat, this is it.
Once when I was working at The Seafood Restaurant, an Italian woman was invited into the kitchen. While I was showing her around, she told me that the best way to cook pasta was her way. So here it is. Cook the pasta as usual, then, when it’s ready, drain it through a colander, being careful to collect the water in a pan. Add butter to the hot pasta, stir it through and pour the water back through the pasta again. This is the way I have cooked pasta ever since!
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil plus more if needed
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 100 g grated Parmesan cheese and Parmesan rind
- 500 g dried rigatoni or penne
- 400 g mixed green vegetables, such as broccolini, asparagus, spinach and frozen peas
- 1 tbsp butter plus an extra knob for the pasta
- juice of ½ lemon
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Fill a pan of water for the pasta. Salt generously and bring to the boil.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat, add the onion and chilli flakes and a pinch of salt, and cook slowly until soft but not coloured (about 5–10 minutes). Add the garlic and the Parmesan rind. Leave on the lowest possible heat while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Meanwhile add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 1 minute less than the packet instructions suggest.
Prepare the vegetables. Slice the broccolini and asparagus spears into 2cm pieces, keeping the heads intact. Add them to the pan containing the onion mixture, and turn up the heat, stirring so that they are covered with oil. Add 1 tablespoon butter and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes until they are softened but still have a bite.
Wash the frozen peas under warm water to defrost them; drain off the water and add the peas to the broccoli and asparagus and cook for 1 minute. Cut the spinach into strips and add to the pan; let it wilt down and add another pinch of salt. There should be enough oil to coat all the vegetables; if necessary, add a little more.
When the pasta is ready, drain it into a colander set over a large pan. Put the pasta back into the pan and stir through a knob of butter. Pour the collected water back into the pan to coat the pasta and drain over the large pan again.
Remove the Parmesan rind. Pour in the vegetable sauce and stir to make sure it is all combined. Add the lemon juice and a handful of Parmesan and stir these through, along with a final tablespoon or two of the pasta cooking water.
Plate up the pasta and vegetables and top with more Parmesan, black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
This is a dish from my girlfriend, Lucy, who is from a Sicilian family. Lucy usually makes this on a Monday, when we have a ton of green vegetables left over from the Sunday roast. You can use virtually any green vegetable and the Parmesan rind gives the pasta a lovely depth of flavour. If I have been busy at work and really want something comforting and healthy to eat, this is it.
Once when I was working at The Seafood Restaurant, an Italian woman was invited into the kitchen. While I was showing her around, she told me that the best way to cook pasta was her way. So here it is. Cook the pasta as usual, then, when it’s ready, drain it through a colander, being careful to collect the water in a pan. Add butter to the hot pasta, stir it through and pour the water back through the pasta again. This is the way I have cooked pasta ever since!
