Doc V's Healthy Kitchen

Kale is an important ingredient in the Italian kitchen and is, in Tuscany, mainly used for the famous ‘ribollita’ ( = a thick all- in- one soup, literally translated as re-cooked). In the beginning of our Italian life, I experimented with this vegetable. Being used to cook al dente and to avoid waste ( one of my rules) I made an un- eatable dish which didn’t really encourage me to use it again. This isn’t fair, because kale is a tasty, healthy and beautiful vegetable but : don’t use the stems, cook it long enough and use moderate portions.

The pasta dish for tonight is an excellent way to restore the reputation of kale ( cavolo nero in italian), fresh pasta with kale, burrata and pine nuts.

For a portion of fresh pasta for 2p, mix 75 grams of 00flour, 75 grams of semola ( corn flour), a drizzle of olive oil and 80-100 ml of lukewarm water. Add the water in small portions, to obtain the right consistency. Knead. Cover the ball in cling film and store in the fridge.

Clean 500 grams of kale by removing the hard parts. Boil in salted water for 5-10 minutes, until tender. Drain, rinse with cold water and chop.

Divide the pasta dough in 2 portions. Spread some flour on a clean working space. Use a rolling pin to create sheets of approximately 2-3 mm thickness. Cut the pasta in rectangular pieces of 1 cm large and 4-6 cm long ( sagnette). Mix with flour.

Heat a pan. Chop and fry 4 garlic cloves and 1 chili in 1 table spoon of olive oil. Add the drained kale and 1 table spoon of savory ( my input). Stir regularly. Season with pepper and salt. Boil the pasta al dente in salted water ( approximately 3 minutes). Mix pasta with kale and add some pasta water. Taste, add pepper and salt. Finish with 50 grams of roasted pine nuts and lucious burrata ( or good quality mozzarella). Buon appetito!