Kale top and goat cheese pasta

The first Farm & Feast recipe of 2023 and we’re starting with an easy one! This simple but delicious recipe comes together in 15 minutes, so is great for a speedy dinner. Most greens pair well with goat’s cheese, but I particularly love the flavour combination with the pea shoots and broad bean tops (these are just the tips of broad bean plants that have been pinched out). If you really don’t like goat’s cheese (I know it’s divisive) then use cream cheese instead. Lemon zest and nutmeg are always a great addition to dishes with soft cheese and greens!

You can also make this with spinach, kale or sprouting broccoli wilted in the pan until just soft. And later in the season it will work well with fresh peas and broad beans – these can be added to the pan of pasta 30 seconds before you are ready to drain it.  

If you have any flat leaf parsley or mint that needs used up, then roughly chop it and stir it through at the end.

Serves 4 (but easily halved if you want less)

400g tagliatelle, linguine, or spaghetti
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 fat garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 red chilli, thinly sliced (optional or use a pinch of chilli flakes)
4 scallions (spring onions), trimmed and thinly sliced
150-200g kale tops, broad bean tops and/or pea shoots
1 lemon, zest and a squeeze of the juice
1/8 nutmeg, finely grated
100g soft goat’s cheese (or use cream cheese)
Mint or flat leaf parsley (optional)
Salt

1. Fill a large pan with water and bring it to the boil over a high heat. Once boiling season the water generously with salt and add the pasta. Bring back to the boil and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Put the olive oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat and add the sliced garlic. Let the garlic cook slowly in the olive oil until it is starting to turn golden, this should take about 5 minutes. Next add the chilli (if using) and sliced scallions and cook for another 2 minutes.

3. Add in the kale tops and cook for two minutes more. Add the broad bean tops and pea shoots and immediately turn off the heat and put a lid on the pan. The broad bean tops and pea shoots will wilt in the heat of the pan.

4. Scoop a cupful of the pasta cooking water out of the pan and set aside. You can use this to loosen the pasta later if needed. Strain the pasta in a colander and then return it to the pan it was cooked in.

5. Add the garlickly greens to the pasta, making sure to scrape every bit of flavour out of the pan. Add the lemon zest, nutmeg, and goat’s cheese with a couple of tablespoons of the pasta cooking water. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and the soft herbs (if using) and stir to mix everything together. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice if needed. If you haven’t used chilli, then a grind pf black pepper would be perfect now. Serve straight away with a green salad with a sharp dressing.