Jerusalem Artichoke and Kale Conchiglie Rigate
Serves 2.
This recipe is brilliant when you want the comfort of winter vegetables but fancy something a little fresher. The recipe does call for a fair amount of olive oil, but it makes the sauce silky and decadent. The shape and texture of the conchiglie rigate is perfect for this type of pan sauce, pulling it over its ridges and scooping it up inside the shell, easy to get the perfect mouthful in each bite.
Ingredients
200g Conchiglie Rigate
150g (2-3) Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and cut into ½ cm cubes and placed into water to stop them from browning.
25g kale, I used red Russian kale, but you can use Cavello Nero or regular curly kale
1 banana shallot, finely diced
1 large garlic clove, finely minced
50ml white wine
1/2 tbsp olive oil
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan and add a third of the Jerusalem artichoke cubes with a good pinch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Fry the artichokes on a medium high heat until they are soft and golden brown, then remove them from the heat and place to one side.
Step 2
Prepare your lemon by removing a strip of the rind with a peeler, taking care to include as little of the white pith as possible, then cut it into very thin strips and place them in a folded wet tea towel to prevent them from drying out. Then juice half the lemon and keep for later.
Step 3
Drain the remainder of the Jerusalem artichokes. On a medium heat, heat another ½ tbsp of olive oil to the pan and begin to cook down the shallots until completely soft, adding the garlic, artichoke cubes, ½ of the fresh thyme leaves and a pinch of salt and pepper, then gently frying together until the artichokes have softened – around 10 minutes.
Step 4
Meanwhile bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta per packet instructions, minus 1 minute.
Step 5
Returning to your sauce, deglaze the pan with the white wine and cook off the alcohol. Then, tablespoon by tablespoon, add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Once incorporated, take roughly 100ml of pasta water from your boiling pot and slowly stir in to emulsify the sauce – creating a silky, velvety texture.
Step 6
Once your pasta is ready, reserve some additional pasta water in case its needed later, then drain and add to the sauce. Add in the lemon juice then stir everything together – adding more pasta water if needed to properly coat the pasta. Season to taste.
Step 7
To serve sprinkle over the golden-brown pieces of artichoke, the remainder of the thyme leaves and a few strips of lemon zest.
