Recipe | Teddy’s favourite garden greens pasta

These greens are in the garden year-round, and this recipe has become a favourite for all our little ones, especially our grandson Teddy. Think of it as a kind of wintry pesto, but if you want to make it in summer, by all means add some basil, and pine nuts too, if you want it to be more pesto-like.

Serves 4 – 6

Ingredients

1 bunch Tuscan kale (cavolo nero)

mixture of silverbeet, rainbow chard, spinach, large rocket leaves

sea salt flakes and freshly

ground black pepper

2 teaspoons vegetable stock powder

2 cloves confit garlic (or raw garlic)

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

2 cups extra virgin olive oil

basil and pine nuts (optional)

1 cup finely grated pecorino and/or parmesan, plus extra to serve

500 g pasta of your choice

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Method

Cut any tough, stalky parts from the Tuscan kale and othergreens (keeping the kale separate) and roughly chop the leaves.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt well.

Stir in the stock powder.

Add the kale to the pot and cook for a couple of minutes, thenadd the remaining greens to wilt. Remove from the heat. Scoop out the greens and place into a blender (keeping the water in the pot to cook the pasta). Add the garlic, lemon zest and olive oil, and blend until smooth. If you are using basil and pine nuts, blend them in now too. Add the cheese and blend to combine, then season to taste.

Bring the water back to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente.

Drain and mix with the green sauce. Serve topped with extracheese and freshly ground black pepper.

COOK’S NOTES:

You’ll need about 6 cups of chopped greens altogether, including the Tuscan kale. I like to use confit garlic, as it is gentler on the digestive system, but you can use raw garlic if you like.

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