Cavolo nero orecchiette

Ingredients

• 150g orecchiette
• 200g cavolo nero separated into stems and leaves
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 red chilli (deseeded if you like), finely chopped
• 1 banana shallot finely chopped
• 1 lemon zested and juiced
• 75g ricotta
• 15g almonds roughly chopped and toasted

Instructions

1. Cook the orecchiette following pack instructions, then drain, reserving a mugful of the water. Finely chop the cavolo nero stems and leaves, keeping them separate. Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan and cook the stems, garlic, chilli and shallot over a low heat for 5 mins until softened, then stir in the cavolo nero leaves. Fry until just wilted, then tip in the pasta and toss to combine.
2. Stir in the lemon zest and juice, and the ricotta along with a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen, and season. Sprinkle the almonds over the top to serve.