I was at a friend’s house to test the first salt recently created thanks to her legendary cheese kit and for dinner we cooked this fantastic pasta: Rigatoni with chard and anchovies. A sort of reinterpretation of Apulian-style pasta with turnip greens. A dish resulting from a bequest from her ex-boyfriend, an artist and apparently great cook.
Ingredients (2 people)
- 250 grams of pasta (preferably rigatoni);
- a bunch of chard stems (about 500 g);
- 4/5 anchovies in oil;
- Chili;
- Pepper
- Salt;
- Garlic;
- Extra virgin olive oil;
- Pine nuts (optional);
- Parmesan (optional)
Take a pan large enough to allow you to sauté the pasta, cook 4/5 anchovies, some garlic and chilli pepper in the oil over a strictly low heat (for about ten minutes, until the anchovy has broken down) .
Place a pasta pot on the heat and salt the water. Cut the stem of the ribs (as in the photo) and discard it.
Wash and cut the remaining part as shown in the photo and cook them in the pasta pot. After about 10 minutes, add the pasta (rigatoni, mezze sleeves if you prefer) into the same pot.
Drain the pasta a couple of minutes earlier than indicated on the package, keeping aside a cup of cooking water.
Cook the pasta in the pan with the oil and the anchovies (now melted) for a couple of minutes, pouring in a little cooking water.
If you want you can add some previously toasted pine nuts (over very low heat) and some parmesan.
